Un momento en la historia de la edición y la lectura en Colombia (1925-1954).

This work recalls a series of publishing projects that contributed to the modernization of Colombian publishing. Acclaimed Bogotá intellectual Germán Arciniegas (1900-1999) was the figure behind Ediciones Colombia (1925-1927); Arturo Zapata published through a company using his own name (1933-1954); and the Ministry of Education published widely while Arciniegas was Minister, producing the 161 titles of the Popular Library of Colombian Culture (Biblioteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana) in 1942-1952. These projects brought previously unpublished authors into print, introduced new topics and took new approaches to existing ones, lending credence to the figure of the publisher as both a man of letters and a businessperson. Publishing was presented as an identifiable activity separate from literary creation, printing, and the management of bookstores, and represented the professionalization of the Colombian publisher as a prominent figure in the industry. The work is divided into three chapters. The first chapter discusses Germán Arciniegas in his role as publisher and Minister of Culture on projects such as Ediciones Colombia and the Popular Library of Colombian Culture. The second chapter describes the career of Arturo Zapata of Manizales from his work on the regional newspaper La Voz de Caldas (1926) up to his 1974 retirement. The last chapter presents a general overview of Colombian publishing, book production, the characteristics of the reading public, and the professionalization of writing in the country between 1925 y 1954.