Librería Porrúa Hermanos y Compañía S.A. de C.V. is a

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of libra ...

and

publishing company 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 ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and is one of the longest-established businesses operating in the Mexican book trade. The Porrúa name has been associated with books and publishing since the beginning of the 20th century, through its flagship Librería Porrúa bookstore in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

and subsidiary stores throughout the country, and the company's renowned and extensive publishing business operating under the names and imprints of Librería Porrúa Hermanos and Editorial Porrúa.

History

Hermanos Porrúa has over 100 years of history as bookseller and publisher in Mexico. In the second half of the 19th century, three brothers emigrated from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

to Mexico City: José, Indalecio and Francisco Porrúa. Indalecio had a market stall on what is now Del Carmen Street, north northwest of the

Zócalo The Zócalo () is the common name of the main square in central Mexico City. Prior to the colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Sq ...

, in which he had a sign stating that he bought and sold libraries. His business was successful enough that he asked his brothers to join him. The libraries that they purchased were important not only for the works that they contained but also because from whom they were purchased, including some of the Mexico City’s nobility. They published Mexico’s first bibliography called the “Boletín Bibliográfico” which categorized the antique books for sale. It and others like it would set the value of most of the antique books in Mexico over the following century.

Publishing

Porrúa began publishing in 1910, starting with a “Guide to the City of Mexico” by José Romero, physically printed in Spain but distributed in Mexico by Porrúa. Four years later, the first book completely published in Mexico, a collection of poems, was offered by the company. The company’s logo, called the “Caballero Aguila” (Eagle Knight) was devised in 1915 by Saturnino Herrán. During the 1930s (at least), the business published as "Porrúa Hermanos y compania". The modern organization of the business took shape in 1940, changing its name to Editorial Porrúa and the company began printing specialty books, such as those on law and art. In 1959, Porrúa began printing a series of classical works with the aim of making these more affordable to the general public. Starting in 1964, Porrúa began publishing its own reference work called “El Diccionario de Historia Biografía y Geografía de México” (Dictionary of the History, Biographies and Geography of Mexico) and in 1992 began a division dedicated to young readers, starting with a version of the story of

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

Bookstore

The original site of Librería Hermanos Porrúa is at the corner of República de Argentina and Justo Sierra Street in the historic center of

. The building was originally a house that dates from the 18th century and has two floors. The outside of the building maintains much of original décor, such as the geometric design on both floors, a niche with a statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and iron railings on the windows of the upper floor. The inside of the building has been completely modernized and the lower floor is dedicated to the bookstore. From the original store in the Centro Histórico, Porrúa now has stores in all of the states of México and is also present in many location of the department store El Palacio de Hierro and the office supply chain Office Max in México.

Notes

References

External links

Librería Porrúa website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porrua, Libreria Bookstores of Mexico Book publishing companies of Mexico Mass media in Mexico City