Publishing House

Orbis Pictus

The Orbis Pictus Publishing House was founded in 1989 in Wrocław. From the very beginning we were driven by our passion for old books. The first item on the reprints and facsimiles market was Bank Polski S.A. 1924 – 1951 (Polish Bank 1924 – 1951) commissioned by the National Bank of Poland in 1994. This was our first real encounter with the work of outstanding bookbinders and printers seeking to provide the most faithful representation possible of a book created years ago. The book was hand-bound in green canvass and was met with much praise. In the next years, on numerous requests of individual enthusiasts of old prints we reproduced beautiful books from centuries ago. Metal, often brass ferrules, wooden bindings dressed in leather, beautiful, unique hand-painted initials – all this enhanced the attractiveness of the reproduction.

Each of them was always very stirring. And so we reach Pelplin, where the Bernardium Pelplin Dioceses Publishing House was starting works on the most important piece of the printing art to date – the facsimile of the Gutenberg Bible.

Participation in the largest project of such type in Poland confirmed our belief that love for old books is more than just a harmless hobby or bibliophile passion. We saw how facsimiles change their importance and make their way from private collections to safes and jealously guarded libraries and antiquarian bookstores. The latest developments on the facsimiles market have exceeded our wildest expectations. Within 10 years the value of some of the items increased three- or even five-fold. During the prestigious book fairs in Frankfurt, publishing houses involved in this market have attained a special status, and their works are presented in a separate section of the exhibition hall, where over a dozen publishers from all over the world showcase their achievements.

There we had an opportunity to present one of the latest additions to our line-up: The Mercator Atlas from the 16th century. The numbered edition of 294 copies was quickly met with interest. Bound in leather with specially glued folios, it allows readers, just like 500 years ago, to view the figures and large format maps. The book can be purchase in renowned antiquarian bookstores in Vienna, Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich and… Pelplin.

Out of admiration for the collection of the Pelplin Library that holds even 12th or 13th century manuscripts made by diligently working monks and scribes, this is where we decided to place the seat of our publishing house. In close cooperation with the experts for the Bernardinum Publishing House and the bookbinders that create the beautiful bindings of our facsimiles, we constantly expand our Pelplin Library and present our Pelplin Books. The most beautiful and valuable books created today – facsimiles.