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Development and expansion of the bookshops network in Croatia occurred at the end of the 19th century, simultaneously with the increase of the number of literate citizens and publications written in national language. A larger number of bookstores also increased their competitiveness which consequently made the economic aspect of their business more and more important. In the first half of the 20th century, Croatian booksellers and book dealers operated according to the rules and regulations of the national book trade organizations and regional companies, but also according to the internal arrangements. In the period of Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1943), part of which was Croatia, bookselling was strictly monitored and controlled by the rules and regulations of the authorities. Split bookstore Morpurgo (1860- 1943) was one of the most famous Croatian bookstores at the time. Since the day it was founded, Morpurgo has successfully cooperated with a large number of foreign (mostly Italian and Austrian) and domestic suppliers (booksellers, publishers, companies, individuals). The bookstore made long-term and solid business relationships with some of the suppliers, which reflected on the means and conditions of their cooperation. Based on the archive materials regarding the business of Morpurgo bookstore (correspondences, offers, accounts) conditions of the bookstore’s cooperation with suppliers are clear (rebate, payment delay, exclusive offers). Preserved correspondence also testifies that the bookshop owners were exchanging confidential information about their customers, asking each other about their purchasing power and regularity of payments. For example, they asked questions as “Does he pay well?” or “Does his business go well?” It was one of the ways of evaluating customers who were looking for a larger quantity of books and office supplies and asking for hire purchase or payment delay. This shows that, in addition to the official communication among Croatian booksellers, there was also an informal one which enabled them to conduct their businesses with their customers more safely. |
