Schaller & Kirn: A Short History and List of Movable Books

Abstract

This article explores the history and legacy of Schaller & Kirn, a prominent German lithographic and movable book publishing company founded in 1884 by Carl Schaller and Hugo Kirn. The partnership, which lasted only a couple of years, produced a significant number of high-quality interactive and movable books. Schaller & Kirn's imprint is associated with the rapid growth of interactive literature in the late 19th century, an era marked by innovation in printing and design. Despite the short duration of the collaboration, the company's output was prolific, as was the continued output from Carl Schaller.
By researching auction records, nineteenth-century books via Google Books, WorldCat, online libraries, and corresponding with fellow collectors and book dealers, we have discovered over 40 movable titles in various languages, including German, English, Dutch, and French. These works often featured intricate mechanisms such as pull-tabs, rotating disks, and foldable scenes, sometimes adding gold foil. Their output almost certainly exceeds this number; additional titles may never be discovered, and known titles may never resurface. Following the dissolution of the partnership in 1885, Carl Schaller continued the business under his name, producing movable books for several years before his death in 1919. Hugo Kirn, after leaving Schaller & Kirn, went on to establish other ventures in toy manufacturing and lithography, contributing further to the toy industry. This article also provides an overview of the various known movable titles published by Schaller & Kirn and later just Carl Schaller.
The brief existence of Schaller & Kirn as a partnership left little opportunity for second editions under their imprint, which contributes to the rarity of their works today. This limited print run makes surviving copies invaluable artifacts in the history of interactive children's literature.