Interview
with Antoine Jeancourt-Galignani
Image provided by Antoine Jeancourt-Galignani.
All rights reserved.
This exclusive interview with Antoine Jeancourt-Galignani was conducted
in Paris by Nicola Linza and Cristoffer Neljesjö during March 2014
Your family has been in publishing since the 16th century, how does it feel to handle something with such tradition and history?
In the prodigious Renaissance years the Galignani were among the innovators: they were among the first to develop applications of Gutenberg’s revolutionary invention, the printing press. Their business was to offer the public of northern Italy above all practical books, geography, guides and grammars in a new paper format and at cheaper prices. This spirit of innovation was also stimulating them when they opened shop in Paris in 1802 to build a publishing, press and bookselling firm. In many ways we try to share the same spirit by offering our clients a service that they cannot find elsewhere in Paris such as a large stock of English and American books, a unique collection of Art books, some exclusive, and the availability of very competent “librarians” in these fields.
How do you work to maintain the quality for the next generation?
The objective is first and foremost is to raise the quality of the present which our Manager and our team are doing splendidly. Then the model will impose itself on the new generation. From the economic point of view the company is well capitalized and I have already donated the premises and part of the capital to my children. Several of them are working in the book- or book related industries.
What is even more significant now about the printed word?
The big factor is of course the growth of digital communication. One can buy traditional books on internet and one can read more and more press, documents and books on digital screens. This is part of the wider technological revolution of our time. It means without doubt that there will be fewer physical bookselling stores in the future. Some will survive and prosper because they will offer books that people wish to keep in their homes like art objects; because they will enjoy spending part of their more abundant free time in attractive stores where they can discover those objects and talk to people who know them well.
In your view what is the most important printed item of the past 25
years?
There can be many answers. I choose the extraordinary books by Ahmet ERTUG: the “Temples of knowledge” a large illustrated book on the best and most spectacular libraries in the world. He published the same sort of book on opera houses and also on domes and cupolas. Those are good examples of books that are really art objects although the texts are also significant.
If you could choose any book to own which would it be and why?
You mean the one book library on an island? It has to be a good Bible or a complete Shakespeare plays edition. Why? Because what else?
What is the future of books?
There will be always books but they will be different. But I am sure, paper books with texts or photos of more and more sophisticated print will be around for some time.
The above interview with Antoine Jeancourt-Galignani 2014 © Manner of Man Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher.
