The Formation of the German Literary Market and Translation Industry since the 18th Century

Historian Rolf Engelsing defined the late 18th century as “a transitional period from intensive book reading to extensive reading.” But in the German-speaking world, domestic books alone could not fully satisfy the public's desire for reading. This is because people's cultural interests and tastes had diversified and increased. Therefore, the publishing world turned its attention to foreign literature and publications and began to translate foreign literature extensively. Until the early 1820s, translations were extremely rare. However, German writers and intellectuals migrated abroad due to censorship, leading to the shrinking of the German-speaking publishing culture. This contradictory phenomenon led to the growth of the translation industry in Germany, and the activities of translation factories were particularly active.