Even before the Liberation, people in Plovdiv had access to the latest books from around the world—sometimes even before the French living outside Paris.
In fact, this culture of books under the hills of Plovdiv had been cultivated over many years. Here, the first Bulgarian bookstore of a European type was established, and its standards were set by the renowned National Revival figure Hristo G. Danov, long before Bulgaria gained independence. In Plovdiv, you can find the only Bulgarian museum of book publishing, housed in the residence where Danov lived. During the period of Eastern Rumelia, dozens of newspapers, magazines, and hundreds of books were published here—some of which left a lasting mark on the history of Bulgarian literature.
In 1929, it was notable that bankers and booksellers "ruled" Dzhumaya Square and Glavnata. For about a decade, bookstores there were owned by Valko Ivanov, Nikola Kravarev, Boris Dishlnev, Nikola Hrelkov, Petko Belovezhdov, Kovo, Yosif Pardo, Agop Stepanian, and M. Lambrev. Nearby were also Israel Levi's "Russian Bookstore," Angel Kunchev's "Levski," and Ervant Atamyan's bookstore. In the Kapana district, the only Turkish bookseller, Shevket Mustafov, operated, while Aleksandar Milkov sold his goods near Kurshum Khan. He inherited the business from his father, who opened a bookstore in 1900 directly opposite his rival Hristo Galunski.
A walk back in those days, from the Balkan Cinema to the Maritsa River, would have looked like this:
At the beginning was K. Pavlov's "Vsemirna Knizharnitsa." Next were the bookstores "Angelo" by Panizhel, "Spoluka" by D. Zlatanov, "Hope" by D. G. Zlatarev, and the remarkable "French and International Bookstore" owned by Toma Buchkov. Buchkov supplied books in various languages, arranged subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, and fulfilled orders for capital city professors. He was the first to offer automatic pens from America and was also a representative of a famous company. In 1936, he opened a branch in Sofia and later moved his business entirely to the capital. Nearby were the bookstores of Krum Marinov and Hristo N. Malinov. Krum Marinov started his business in 1910, and hundreds of postcards were published under the name of his "Modern Bookstore". During the Balkan War, he marked each victorious battle with a commemorative postcard. A week after the event, the colored postcard was already available to the public. The general euphoria helped his goods sell out instantly. He was assisted by Plovdiv artists, especially Dimitar Andreev-Andro, known for his caricatures and sketches. Hristo Malinov also began his business during the wars, but he officially registered his company later, in April 1919, when he was 41 years old.
To this day, the longest-running bookstore was located at Dzhumaya Square and operated until just a few years ago. It was called "Otets Paisiy", and it offered a variety of goods—from musical instruments to postcards and busts of great creators. By 1938, it had two branches on nearby streets. To achieve this success, the owner, Simeon Vasilev, started from humble beginnings. He apprenticed with various craftsmen in his hometown of Haskovo, earning his living as a shoemaker, carpenter, and tobacco worker. In 1913, he opened a booth selling tobacco, cigarettes, and newspapers near the theater in Plovdiv. In 1914, he opened a small bookstore opposite the church of "St. Bogoroditsa", and in 1916, he published his first book, marking the beginning of his publishing career. The office of his publishing house was located in his home at 18 "Otets Paisiy" Street. Vasilev had to join the army and fight in the war just as he finalized a list of books he planned to publish. At the end of World War I, he ended up in a prisoner-of-war camp. When he returned to Plovdiv, he had to start almost from scratch. Throughout these years of hard work, he self-educated, as he lacked the funds to complete his formal education. What Simeon Vasilev achieved is remarkable—he published 145 books and dictionaries, over 40 catalogs and directories, and numerous brochures. In a blog post by Plovdiv Television, Simeon Vasilev's grandson, also named Simeon Vasilev, recounts that the bookstore and publishing house have been in the same building since 1918. He was a great bibliophile and began publishing out of his love for books. He owned the first large private library in Plovdiv and distributed books and bookstore materials throughout southern Bulgaria. His advertisements were designed by Nikolay Raynov.
After the political changes, Valeri Nachev took over the bookstore. A journalist, writer, and above all, a "bookseller", Nachev sought to revive the bookstore's old glory by carefully arranging books and organizing literary events, but the time for this profession seemed to have passed.
Next to "Otets Paisiy" was the Antiquarian Bookstore, where Sofia Tanev worked in the 1970s. She continues to deal with rare literature today and owns a bookstore in the Kapana district. She shares that at that time, books like Gone with the Wind and Danchov’s encyclopedia were in high demand, as many considered the latter the most valuable encyclopedia published in Bulgaria. Customers remember eagerly awaiting books by Karl May (Winnetou and The Thunderbolt) and Edgar Wallace.
After 1944, the first bookstores of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) appeared—first opposite the Balkan Cinema, then under Misov’s House, where the Russian Bookstore later opened.
Private book publishing and book trading were nationalized in 1948. Publishing became party-controlled, and the antiquarian bookstore was monitored to prevent the sale of "enemy" literature, but the love for books endured.
Many years passed before Plovdiv was allowed to have its own publishing house again—once more called "Hristo G. Danov", “founded in 1855,” as the emblem with the old owl symbol indicated, though now it was a state-owned company.
Old residents of Plovdiv still remember the last private bookseller, Asen Arpov, who carried bundles of books from restaurant to restaurant. Some people preferred his old novels over the propaganda literature in the new bookstores. Apart from Dzhumaya Square, there were also bookstores across from the Maritsa Pharmacy, above Dzhumaya Square "under the columns", opposite the "Republica" Cinema (where the Russian Bookstore was first located), and near almost every school.
Today, it is wonderful to note that on the Main Street, within just 100 meters, there are still three large bookstores, along with several smaller and more interesting ones scattered nearby. You can read more about them in our article on Plovdiv's bookstores.
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