Pustet

Pustet

The name of a family of well-known Catholic publishers. The original home of the Pustets was the Republic of Venice, where the name Bustetto is common even to-day. Probably in the seventeenth century, the founder of the Ratisbon line emigrated to South Germany, where one of his descendants, Anton Pustet, lived as a poor bookbinder in the Lower Bavarian borough of Hals (near Passau) at the close of the eighteenth century. To him and his wife Anna (née Scheuerocker) was born on 25 March, 1798, a son, Friedrich. Having learned bookbinding under his father, Friedrich started a small book-store in Passau in 1819, and in 1822 founded a separate printing establishment. This business developed so favourably, thanks to Pustet's energy and skill, that, in 1826, he was able to transfer his publishing business to Ratisbon. Establishing business relations with prominent Catholic authors, he extended the range of his publications to all branches of literature, while paying special attention to theology. In 1830 he married Theresa von Schmid; ten children were the fruit of this marriage. To extend his business undertakings, in 1833 Pustet set up one of the first printing-machines, and in 1836 erected near Ratisbon a paper factory, for which he procured the first paper machine in Bavaria. In 1845 he began printing liturgical works; with this he associated a department for church music, with the co-operation of Dr. Proske, for the purpose of carrying out the latter's ideas for the reform of ecclesiastical music. Men like Dr. Witt, Dr. Haberl, Haller, later rendered valuable services in this department. In 1860 he handed over the business to his sons Friedrich (b. 1831), Karl (b. 1839), and Klemens (b. 1833), and two years later acquired in Munich the Royal Bavarian Central Schoolbook-Publishing Company, which he conducted until 1874. He died on 5 March, 1882. Inheriting their father's ability, the sons continued the extension of the business. Friedrich chose for his department liturgical publications, Karl German works, and Klemens the paper factory. The success of Friedrich earned for him in 1870 the title "Typographus S. R. Congregationis"; among various other distinctions, the firm was entrusted by the Vatican with the world-famous editio typica of all the liturgical works. After a most successful business activity, which extended also to politico-religious life, Friedrich died on 4 August, 1902. Klemens had died before him (1898), and Karl's death followed on 17 January 1910. The last, who was a Privy Counsellor of Commerce, had raised the German publications of the firm to the highest repute; among its publications may be mentioned the "Regensburger Marienkalender" and the illustrated family magazine, the "Deutscher Hausschatz". The present heads of the Pustet firm are Friedrich Pustet, son of Friedrich, and Ludwig, son of Karl. Among the model productions of the firm may also be mentioned the illustrated monthly, "Der Aar", appearing since October, 1910. It remains to add that branch firms have been established in New York (1865), Cincinnati, Ohio (1867), and Rome (1898).

DENK, Friedrich Pustet, Vater u. Sohn. Zwei Lebensbilder, sugleich eine Gesch. Des Hauses Pustet (Ratisbon, 1904).

FRIEDRICH PUSTET