Description

An illustrated ephemeral catalogue presents the Ottoman printing and lithographic shop, based in Istanbul, which was founded and run by one of the leading names of the late Ottoman empire Ahmet İhsan. The photographs showcase the building, the rooms of the company and the employees. The catalogue is written in the Ottoman Language with a French title on the rear cover.

The publisher, author, editor and translator Ahmet İhsan Tokgöz (1868 – 1942) was probably one of the most influential figures of the literature of the late Ottoman Empire, connecting the influences from the West with Ottoman tradition. He was leading the magazine from its foundation in 1888 until his death.

Growing up in Shkodra, Albania, and Damascus, Syria, Ahmet İhsan finished a law degree. A keen translator and a big fan of the Jules Verne novels, he made first translations of Verne’s text to Ottoman, starting a new genre of the adventure novels in the Ottoman world.

The catalogue is a valuable insight in the late Ottoman world of the book and magazine production.