The Bassermann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, today Bassermann Verlag, is a

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

based in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. The publisher is part of

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

History

The publisher was founded in 1843 as ''Bassermann & Mathy'' by

Friedrich Daniel Bassermann Friedrich Daniel Bassermann (24 February 1811 in Mannheim – 29 July 1855) was a German liberal politician who is best known for calling for a pan-German Parliament at the Frankfurt Parliament. He emphasized the value of a national self-este ...

and

Karl Mathy Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Mathy (March 17, 1807 – February 3, 1868), was a Badensian statesman. He was born at Mannheim. He studied law and politics at Heidelberg, and entered the Baden government department of finance in 1829. His sympathy w ...

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

. At this time, Bassermann published nonfiction and novels by authors such as

August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben August Heinrich Hoffmann (, calling himself von Fallersleben, after his hometown; 2 April 179819 January 1874) was a German poet. He is best known for writing "Das Lied der Deutschen", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, an ...

. After Mathy left the publisher, it was renamed to the ''Bassermann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung'' in 1854. Ten years after the death of the founder, his son, Otto Friedrich Bassermann, took over the management of the publisher and moved its headquarters to

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. From there it was transferred to Munich in 1878. Bassermann junior succeeded to win the author

Wilhelm Busch Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch (14 April 1832 – 9 January 1908) was a German humorist, poet, illustrator, and painter. He published wildly innovative illustrated tales that remain influential to this day. Busch drew on the tropes of f ...

for his publisher. Busch published between 1872 and 1904 all his books at Bassermann and became the principal author of the Bassermann. In 1973 Frank Sicker bought the publisher and moved it from Munich to

Niedernhausen Niedernhausen im Taunus is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany, with almost 15,000 inhabitants. Geography Location Niedernhausen lies in the Rhein-Taunus Nature Park in the west o ...

. The books published were part of the assortment of the Falken-Verlag, which also belonged to Frank Sicker. The Bassermann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung did not publish anything until 1988 when Sicker started a new publishing program under the name ''Bassermann Verlag''. In 1998, Random House publishing group bought the publisher and moved its headquarters in 2002 to Munich once again.

Program

The Bassermann Verlag describes itself as "dedicated to inexpensive special issues on popular topics, especially in the areas of guides and nonfiction as well as high-quality illustrated books" According to their records they published about 130 new books each year.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Book publishing companies of Germany Mass media in Munich 1843 establishments in Germany Random House