Book trade

Rudolf Engel obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Vienna in 1906. He worked as a secondary school teacher but was mainly involved in publishing and selling books and theatre items.

Alois Fantl was born on 27 April 1873 in Wittingau, Bohemia (now Třeboň, Czech Republic), as the son of Karl and Therese Fantl. In 1902 he married Bertha, née Pokorny, and they had a daughter, Margarethe.

After completing his apprenticeship as a bookseller, Karl Günther, son of a Viennese printer, joined

On completion of his education at commercial college, Johannes Katzler worked until 1924 in his parent's company in Vienna.

Hans Peter Kraus was born in Vienna on 12 October 1907 as the son of Emil and Hilda Kraus (née Rix). After graduating from the Handelsakademie in 1925, he trained as a librarian from 1925 to 1927 at Universitätsbuchhandlung R. Lechner in Vienna.

Richard Lányi was born in Vienna as a Hungarian citizen on 9 December 1884. He originally had the surname Löwy. His parents Leopold Löwy and Johanna, née Spitzer, were from Pressburg, at the time administered by Hungary.

Leo Weiser, recte Leiser Weisser, from Galicia, opened a mail order business with bookstore at Kaiserstraße 89 in Vienna's 7th district in January 1924, with a further outlet at Tuchlauben 5 in the 1st district from September 1929.