Re: RE. VMs: Warsaw Branch House

["Rafal T. Prinke" <rafalp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

More concerning the Warsaw connection. I wrote earlier:

> This bookstore existed as "Centnerszwer" from 1876, then in
> 1903 Gabriel Centnerszwer accepted the company (Ska.=Co.)
> of Jakub Mortkowicz, and in 1915 after Cetnerszwer's death
> Mortkowicz became the sole owner. Thus Catalogue 31 must be
> dated between 1903-1915.

Jakub Mortkowicz was (according to some historians of
printing presses) one of the most important Polish editors
and publisher of the 20th c. Here is an encyclopedic
entry on him (Polish only):

   http://wiem.onet.pl/wiem/00cbf3.html

The interesting part says: "He studied in Brussels and London,
where he belonged to Polish socialist circles" - and, obviously, it
was not difficult to meet the Voynichs if one was in those
circles in London and came from Poland. This must have been
at about the same time when Voynich became interested
in books. Mortkowicz started his publishing house in Warsaw
in 1905, then joined Cetnerszwer in book dealing business,
and eventually The Publishing Society (1915). He commited
suicide in 1931 and the business was continued by his wife and
later his daughter (until 1950).

Best regards,

Rafal
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