Kirjastus Loodus lugejaid peibutamas
The publishing house „Loodus“ luring readers

Summary/Abstract: The publishing house „Loodus“ was one of the three largest publishing houses in the Republic of Estonia from 1918 to 1940. A distinctive feature of the publishing house was active advertising. While publishers usually promoted their advertising publications through lists, summaries of works and reviews, „Loodus“ also contributed relevant articles illuminating its activities and general overviews of life in the world of books. This approach allows for a more differentiated overview of the company’s activities. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the emphasis placed by the publishing house „Loodus“ on communicating with readers through its advertising publications. The activities of the publisher, which began as a limited partnership in Tartu in 1920, have been divided into five-year periods for the sake of clarity and comparability. Source criticism and comparative methods have been used as research methods. At the beginning of its activities, the publishing house emphasized two aspects: authorship and price. The publishing house was surrounded by natural science lecturers from the University of Tartu and experienced secondary school teachers. The publisher tried to show that their books were the most affordable. In 1923 the private limited publishing house „Loodus“ was established. One of its goals was to publish works primarily related to natural sciences, mathematics and their auxiliary sciences, as well as works related to all other fields. The second period, 1925–1929, was affected by the crisis related to the Eastern European economy. In order to survive, the publishing house had to make changes. While the works of renowned Estonian fiction writers were initially published, novel competitions began to be organized, with the first one held in 1927. Readers had the opportunity to provide feedback via a tear-off form located at the end of the competition novels. By returning this completed form to the publisher, it was possible to participate in a library draw. In response to the high prices of the competition novels, the publishing house began publishing a low-cost 64-page series called „Looduse universaal-biblioteek“ (Loodus Universal Library). The publisher continued with questionnaires. To encourage participation, it was promised that travel tickets to different continents would be raffled off, but in reality, the competition was limited to Europe. Readers’ interest soon waned, primarily due to the economic crisis but also to the desire for more voluminous works. The most important work of the third period, 1930–1934, was the „Estonian Encyclopedia“. The global economic crisis that began in 1929 did not prevent the publication of a major work of this kind. Here, as well as for other works, Finnish examples played an important role. The encyclopedia in 56 booklets and 8 volumes was published from 1931–1937. The advertisement declared that the „Estonian Encyclopedia“ was the final authority on all questions and doubts. Publishing such an important work contributed to the development of the art of bookbinding. In the third period, the publication of children’s and youth literature, which had previously been considered unprofitable, gained momentum. The final period covers the years 1935–1939 and part of the year 1940. The authoritarian regime favored developments in the book market, but at the same time, publishers had to find niches for their activities that could secure their place in the competition. „Loodus“ tried to succeed with standard textbooks, gift books for school graduates and family libraries. The slogan „A library for every family!“ was announced. Through the publishing house, it was possible to purchase a bookcase according to one’s own wishes. More broadly, the family librarywas part of modern life. The advertising publications wrote about „the cultured Estonian home“. Attracting readers with promotional publications was one way for the publishing house to launch its operations and introduce its publications.

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