The influence of the Four Year Seym on the development of Polish printing

Abstract

In the year 1788, when the Great Sejm began its proceedings, seven printing houses were active in Warsaw. Therefore, even with an increased social demand for a printed word during reforms, it was ensured, and printing houses were able to produce mass editions without the need of establishing new enterprises. Nevertheless, during the Great Sejm works (1788-1792), five new printing houses were established in Warsaw. The author presents them briefly, and considers whether their functioning was related to a political demand of that time, or rather to favourable conditions for a quantitative increase of printing houses in Warsaw.