La industria editorial española ante los mercados americanos del libro 1892-1936

Abstract

The article analyses the book trade with Latin American from the end of the nineteenth century until the civil war. It addresses the condition of trade with the various Latin American republics, the problems affecting book production, distribution and sale; and, finally, the strategies adopted by Spanish editors and booksellers to increase exports. The Spanish book industry was necessarily oriented towards exports because of the economic and cultural limitations of the national market, and because of new and high demand from twenty Spanish-speaking countries. Although it was always profitable, the publishers had to face foreign competition in Spanish-language book production, clandestine publication in Latin American countries, the difficulties derived from producing expensive books in limited editions, the weakness of financial support, ineffective transport and poor publicity. This article also studies the role of the state in the diffusion of Spanish book, emphasising the importance of protectionism, which proved very damaging to the publishing industry.