Mavrikiy Osipovitch WOLF (1825 – 1883) – the Saint-Petersburg publisher and bookseller, who became, in the opinion of the contemporaries, the first Russian book millionaire

>> Mavrikiy Osipovitch WOLF

Mavrikiy Osipovitch WOLF (1825 – 1883) – the Saint-Petersburg publisher and bookseller, who became, in the opinion of the contemporaries, "The first Russian book millionaire".

M.O. Wolf joined the publishing business in 1848, and from 1853 he began operations on a grand scale by establishing of the own publishing house, which in 1882 was reorganized into the "M.O. Wolf Partnership" share stock publishing house (existed until 1918).

The Wolf’s Publishing House, being of the universal character, has published about 5000 titles: publications of works of the Russian and foreign writers, books of natural science, geography, philosophy, history, mathematics, agriculture, pedagogics, linguistics, arts, works of spiritual and moral nature, textbooks and manuals.

M. O. Wolf was the first in Russia, who began printing of luxurious expensive illustrated publications, such as "The Prayer Book" with the Byzantium ornamental pattern, "The Bible" with 230 illustrations of Gustave Dore, "The Divine Comedy" of Dante Alighieri with gorgeous gold pressing shagreen covers, and other. Special role in his publication activities was played by books for children, many of which, for the purpose of increased profitability and convenient distribution, were united in series: "The Green Library", "The Pink Library", "The Golden Library" gift editions and other.

Thanks to the book trade system, adjusted by him, the M.O. Wolf's publications reached any corner of Russia, what prompted N.S. Leskov to jocularly remark: "Mavrikiy is the sole tsar of the Russian book. His army is deployed from Yakutsk to Warsaw, from Riga to Tashkent, the destiny of the literature rests in his hands …"