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Revision as of 13:57, 16 March 2020

RCL Benziger
Parent companyKendall Hunt
PredecessorBenzinger, RCL - Resources for Christian Living
Founded1792
FounderJoseph Charles Benziger
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationCincinnati, Ohio
Publication typesBooks
Nonfiction topicsCatholicism
Official websitewww.rclbenziger.com

RCL Benziger is a Roman Catholic book publishing house founded by Joseph Charles Benziger, in 1792, in Einsiedeln Switzerland.[1] It is currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and operates as a subsidiary of Kendall Hunt Publishing.

History

Benziger Brothers token.

The company started as a Catholic religious publisher. In 1833, Benziger's sons, Charles and Nicholas, succeeded their father under the firm name of "Charles and Nicholas Benziger Brothers". Two years later, in addition to their book publishing business, they began the lithographing of religious pictures, as well as the coloring of them by hand, before the introduction of chromolithography.[1]

Charles Benziger

Charles Benziger (b. 1799, d. 1873), a man with a good classical education, devoted himself especially to the literary end of the business. In 1840, the Einsiedler Kalender was founded. The Pilgrim, a popular Catholic periodical established at the same time, lasted only ten years. Charles also took an active part in public life, and served as President of the Swiss Canton of Schwyz.[1]

Nicholas Benziger

Nicholas Benziger home in New York

Nicholas Benziger (b. 1808, d. 1864), who took charge of the technical part of the business, proved himself a pioneer, introducing to the mountain village of Einsiedeln a series of improved trades methods as they appeared from time to time in the great centres of Europe and America. Under his guidance the work of book-binding, which was formerly carried on in the family at home, was systematized. In 1844, the old hand-press was superseded by the first power press. Stereotyping was introduced in 1846; in 1856 steel and copper printing; and in 1858 electrotyping.[1]

End of 19th century

On the retirement of Charles and Nicholas Benziger in 1860, the business was continued by three of Charles' sons (Charles, Martin and J.N. Adelrich) and three of Nicholas' sons (Nicholas, Adelrich, and Louis). Under this third generation, the different branches of the house were still further developed, chromolithography and other modern printing methods being added. In 1867, the Alte und Neue Welt, the first illustrated popular Catholic German magazine on a large scale, was begun, and then appeared a number of illustrated Catholic family books and a series of school books, including a Bible history in twelve languages, together with prayer books by well-known authors. Between 1880 and 1895 a fourth generation succeeded to the business, and the firm name was changed to Benziger and Company.[1]

Expansion to the United States

Although Benziger Brothers had established offices in the United States (in New York City) in 1853, its development as a publishing house did not begin until 1860 when J.N. Adelrich Benziger and Louis Benziger took charge. In 1860, further offices were opened in Cincinnati and, in 1887, one in Chicago. The publishing of English Catholic books was vigorously undertaken, and their catalogue covered the field of devotional, educational, and juvenile literature, besides works of a theological character. Benziger was not only a publishing house, but also a liturgical supply factory.[2][3] The American firm of Benziger Brothers is now independent of the Swiss house. The Holy See conferred on the firm the title "Printers to the Holy Apostolic See" in 1867.[1]

20th and 21st century

United States

In 1968, Benziger (US) was acquired by Crowell Collier Macmillan (later to become Macmillan, Inc.), and the following year its headquarters were moved to California. In 1971, it was merged with three other companies — Bruce Publishing, founded in Milwaukee in the 1890s, P. J. Kenedy & Sons of New York (excluding the Official Catholic Directory), and Glencoe Press, began in Beverly Hills in 1966.[4] In July 2007 the Benziger name and product line was purchased from McGraw Hill (who had acquired Macmillan's educational division) by CFM Publishing and merged with Texas-based Catholic publisher RCL - Resources For Christian Living, founded in 1964 by Richard C. Leach, to form RCL Benziger.[5] The New Company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, as in the 19th century. In 2016, RCL Benziger was sold to Kendall Hunt Publishing.[6]

Europe

Benziger (Switzerland) was also on the growth path in Europe at the end of the 19th century. At the peak of its expansion, in the 1890s, Benziger published books and magazines in 20 languages[7] and had more than 1,000 employees in Switzerland alone, making it one of the largest Swiss companies at the time.[8]

They opened operations in Cologne (1884) and Strasbourg (1912). A bookstore in Waldshut was added as early as 1887, but sold in 1936[9] and closed in 2019[10] . It was intended for further activities in the German Reich. But the First World War brought major setbacks, as the Swiss company was separated from its main sales areas. The Benziger family withdrew from the active publishing business. Later, the rise of National Socialism had a lasting effect on sales of the traditionally denominationally oriented Catholic program.

After the Second World War, the theological programme was supplemented by a wide range of books for children and young people and literature.[7] Some of the best-known authors were among many others:

In 1986 the publishing house was sold to the Rheinpfalz Group in Ludwigshafen,[11] the children's book division went to Arena Publishing in Würzburg[12] After a creeping decline, Benziger (Switzerland) was taken over by Patmos Publishing in 1994. In 2003 the publishing activities were discontinued under the name Benziger. In 1985 Benziger spun off its publishing distribution. Since 2015 it has been operating under the name Balmer Bücherdienst AG and is the second largest intermediate book trade company in Switzerland.[13] In 1986, the printing house in Einsiedeln was separated from the publishing house and, like the latter, became an independent stock corporation. Without the publishing house, however, it could no longer make a sufficient living and was discontinued in 1995.[14] The bookstore founded in 1802 directly on the Monastery Square at Einsiedeln was sold in 1987, but it still exists under its old name.[15]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benziger Brothers.
  1. ^ a b c d e f "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Joseph Charles Benzinger". Newadvent.org. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  2. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20120330150340/http://ionascribe.blogspot.com/2010/04/benziger-brothers.html. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Catalogue of religious articles, lithographs and engravings .. : Benziger brothers. [from old catalog] : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". 2001-03-10. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  4. ^ Blau, Eleanor (1971-08-18). "Lean Days Beset Catholic Publishers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  5. ^ Richard Leach
  6. ^ "Kendall Hunt Completes Acquisition of RCL Benziger from The Wicks Group". New Mountain Learning. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  7. ^ a b Martina Läubli: Das Bücherimperium in Einsiedeln. in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 3. November 2017, auch online at nzz.ch.
  8. ^ Heinz Nauer: „Pious industry“: The publishing house Benziger in Einsiedeln 1760–1960. Abgerufen am 11. Februar 2016.
  9. ^ Expansion Deutschland http://www.buchfleck.de/buchhgesch.htm
  10. ^ https://www.suedkurier.de/region/hochrhein/waldshut-tiengen/Die-Waldshuter-St-Marienbuchhandlung-schliesst-nach-132-Jahren-und-die-Betreiber-von-Nagelstudios-stehen-bereits-Schlange;art372623,10129294 Die Waldshuter St. Marienbuchhandlung schließt nach 132 Jahren. in: Südkurier
  11. ^ Schaub-Skandal Archived (Date missing) at nickscafe.de (Error: unknown archive URL)
  12. ^ Identifikation im Schweizerischen Landesarchiv
  13. ^ Buchauslieferung http://www.buecherdienst.ch/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=7&Itemid=3
  14. ^ Schweizer Handelsamtsblatt.
  15. ^ Buchhandlung Benziger http://www.benziger.ch/homepage.php?start=wir
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