Genealogii familiale și rețele profesionale. Cazurile librarilor editori din România secolului al 19-lea
Statistical history and family histories. Booksellers publishers in Romania at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century

Summary/Abstract: This contribution deals with the importance of the family relations in a business environment. It also highlights both the utility as well as the limits of statistical history. This article comprises two parts. Firstly, I aim to analyse the statistics available on the booksellers-publishers and their families. When studied together, the data gathered from directories of business addresses, proceedings of the professional organisation, and national census reveal an interesting geography of the Romanian book trade. The second part is an attempt to re-construct the history of two different families of booksellers-publishers, both Bucharest based major players of the trade (i.e., Socec and Ionniţiu). I highlight the importance of the analysis of professional groups within the capitalist economy, by taking the example of family relations as well as the networks of peers and friends. A better understanding of the modern Romanian economy enables the study of the society, contributing to the much-debated existence of a middle-class or bourgeoisie. Though limited to the booksellers and publishers from the late 19th and early 20th Century Romania, this study suggests that a better understanding of other entrepreneurial groups in needed, together with local history research on book trade and publishing.

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