Pustet

Pustet is a long-established German publishing firm.

History

The original home of the Pustets was the Republic of Venice, where the name Bustetto is common. Probably in the seventeenth century, the founder of the Ratisbon line emigrated to South Germany, where one of his descendants, Anton Pustet, lived as a poor bookbinder in the Lower Bavarian borough of Hals (near Passau) at the close of the eighteenth century. To him and his wife Anna (née Scheuerocker) was born on 25 March 1798, a son, Friedrich Pustet.

Having learned bookbinding under his father, Friedrich started a small book-store in Passau in 1819, and in 1822 founded a separate printing establishment. This business developed, and in 1826 he was able to transfer his publishing business to Ratisbon. Establishing business relations with prominent Catholic authors, he extended the range of his publications to all branches of literature, while paying special attention to theology.

To extend his business undertakings, in 1833 Pustet set up one of the first printing-machines, and in 1836 erected near Ratisbon a paper factory, for which he procured the first paper machine in Bavaria. In 1845 he began printing liturgical works; with this he associated a department for church music, with the co-operation of Dr. Proske, for the purpose of carrying out the latter's ideas for the reform of ecclesiastical music. Men like Dr. Witt, Dr. Haberl, Haller, later supported this department.