Major book publishing house founded by Reinhard Piper and Georg Müller in 1904. Was primarily a publisher of contemporary literature and poetry, including Fyodor Dostoyevsky's complete works and many titles by Expressionist writers; also published many volumes on art by leading critics and historians, including Wilhelm Hausenstein, Julius Meier-Graefe, and Wilhelm Worringer. Early on Piper established friendships with many prominent artists and writers of the day, including lifelong ties to Ernst Barlach, Max Beckmann, Vasily Kandinsky, Alfred Kubin, and Franz Marc. Published the major books of the Blaue Reiter group, including Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art (published 1911; dated 1912), Marc and Kandinsky's Der Blaue Reiter (1912), and Kandinsky's Sounds (1913), all of which featured original woodcuts by the artists. In 1917, in association with Meier-Graefe, founded the bibliophile society and special imprint Marées-Gesellschaft. As a print publisher, concentrated especially on Beckmann, publishing about eighty of his prints between 1912 and 1927 (some of them within illustrated books and some through Marées-Gesellschaft). In 1923 also began issuing large-format reproductions of famous paintings and pastels. Persisted despite censorship and repression during the Nazi era. Still exists today as a book publisher.

Selected Bibliography

Piper, Ernst, and Bettina Raab. 90 Jahre Piper: Die Geschichte des Verlages von der Gründung bis heute. Munich: Piper & Co., 1994.

Iris Schmeisser