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History of the Mainzer Minipressen-Messe (MMPM)
In Mainz, an event reflecting the art of printing
in a colorful kaleidoscope has been firmly established.
Every two years "Gutenberg City" becomes
the meeting-place for minipress operators, small
publishing firms, hand-press printers, book artists
and authors for four days. The Mainzer Minipressen-Messe
has developed from modest beginnings to become
an international book fair for small publishers
and artistic hand press operators. This is also
a sales fair with an extensive accompanying program
in which incompatible opposites are presented.
Press printers on the one hand and magazine makers
on the other, artists here and eccentrics there.
The chemistry of the people who meet here changes
from one fair to the next. This makes it very
lively.
Victor Otto Stomps first had the idea for such
a book fair in 1953. Himself the owner of publishing
firms called "Rabenpresse", "Eremitenpresse" and "Neue
Rabenpresse"; today he is still a role model
for those who seek talents worth supporting off
the beaten path. They create book art, which
allows us to hope that they will survive for
a long time. However, Stomps never pursued the
idea of a book fair any further, not until ten
years later did the editor of Kyklos-Presse take
up this project. In 1963, he launched the Frankfurt-based "Whitsun
Literary Fair". For the first time, publications
by underdogs, outsides, loners and printers of
their own books were presented to a broader public.
The second fair followed in 1964, and the third
fair was held in 1968. This fair was supposed
to "document the current, literary, artistic
and political trends of the present". The
third of these fairs in 1968 was the last, however.
Even though it was very successful, there were
no further events in Frankfurt.
Norbert Kubatzki, whose nickname is "Kuba",
a small publisher from Mainz, was less interested
in the selection of books when he took over the
idea for a fair for small publishers in 1970
and launched the fair in the form of the Mainzer
Minipressen-Messe. Ninety exhibitors displayed
their wares and about 9000 visitors attended
this fair. Since that time, a growing number
of exhibitors have been coming to Mainz, the "Gutenberg
City", every two years in order to present
their versions of good books and printed works.
Over the years, much has changed and grown. One
principle has remained; namely that this is "a
book fair without censorship… ". Every
small publisher can participate. However much the
exhibitors vary with respect to their products,
they all have one thing in common: they engage
in publishing activities not because of any possible
business success (even if this is very welcome),
but from passion, pleasure and conviction, and
with daring and the desire to experiment.
Meanwhile, the Mainzer Minipressen-Messe, with
nearly 360 exhibiting small publishers and an average
of 10,000 visitors, has become the largest book
fair for small publishers and artistic hand press
operators in Europe. It has thus become the marketplace
for the latest ideas and trends in the printing
and publishing of literature and art.
On the occasion of the MMPM, the City of Mainz
has awarded an eponymous prize to honor V.O.
Stomps since 1979, namely a prize for "outstanding
achievements by small publishers"; since
1987 there have been two prizes in the areas
of hand presses / the publishing of books and/or
magazines. This is the only prize
promoting small publishers in Germany.
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