Merkantilt biografisk leksikon
Encyclopedia
Merkantilt biografisk leksikon: hvem er hvem i næringslivet? (Mercantile Biographical Encyclopedia: Who is Who in the Enterprise?) was a Norwegian language
encyclopedia published by Yrkesforlaget in 1935.
It featured approximately 10,000 short biographical entries for Norwegian businesspeople, and was edited by Einar Hoffstad
(1894–1959). It was printed by Grøndahl & Søns Boktrykkeri
. The purpose of the encyclopedia was to "remedy the need to know something about the individuals one is trading with". The entries contain little genealogical information, and the parents of the portrayed businesspeople are not included. Abbreviations are used extensively to save space and money.
The editor, Einar Hoffstad, stated in the foreword of the encyclopedia that it was not a parallel to the Who's Who
reference works, although the title could imply that. Hoffstad argued that Merkantilt biografisk leksikon featured too few and too many names for being a Who is Who—too few from areas such as art, literature, science and politics, whilst too many from the enterprise. He also admitted that the encyclopedia included too many people, even from commerce, to be called a mercantile reference work. The notability standards for the encyclopedia were mostly based on the discretion of the staff, and whether the portrayed individuals were of general interest at the time. Trustees in commercial organisations, editors of trade press and successful traders were automatically included.
In a book review, the newspaper Aftenposten
stated that the Mercantile Biographical Encyclopedia had a "pretentious" title as it was a "strange mixture of book and advertising". According to the reviewer Tharald Borgir there were several errors, and he lamented that Hoffstad in the foreword had disclaimed responsibility for such errors. The reviewer found it "unbelievable" that the book was being offered, and that "gullible" people paid to buy it. He suggested that the Ministry of Justice be on guard for further "backslide" regarding the "freedom of liability" when it came to such information. Hoffstad replied that although a large reference work was bound to contain some errors, his helpers had been reliable, and Borgir had been inquired six times to aid Hoffstad with the encyclopedia without replying.
The encyclopedia was published in a second, revised edition in 1939, this time by Halvorsen & Larsen. In October 2009, Project Runeberg
scanned and made the encyclopedia's first edition available online.
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
encyclopedia published by Yrkesforlaget in 1935.
It featured approximately 10,000 short biographical entries for Norwegian businesspeople, and was edited by Einar Hoffstad
Einar Hoffstad
Einar Hoffstad was a Norwegian encyclopedist, newspaper editor, writer and economist. He is most famous for having edited the encyclopedia Merkantilt biografisk leksikon and the business periodical Farmand...
(1894–1959). It was printed by Grøndahl & Søns Boktrykkeri
Grøndahl & Søn Forlag
Grøndahl & Søn Forlag was a Norwegian publishing house established in 1812. Christopher Grøndahl started it as a print in 1812, before it started commercial publishing in 1875. It was acquired by J.W. Cappelens Forlag in 1990, merged with Dreyers Forlag in 1991 into Grøndahl & Dreyers Forlag. The...
. The purpose of the encyclopedia was to "remedy the need to know something about the individuals one is trading with". The entries contain little genealogical information, and the parents of the portrayed businesspeople are not included. Abbreviations are used extensively to save space and money.
The editor, Einar Hoffstad, stated in the foreword of the encyclopedia that it was not a parallel to the Who's Who
Who's Who
Who's Who is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people...
reference works, although the title could imply that. Hoffstad argued that Merkantilt biografisk leksikon featured too few and too many names for being a Who is Who—too few from areas such as art, literature, science and politics, whilst too many from the enterprise. He also admitted that the encyclopedia included too many people, even from commerce, to be called a mercantile reference work. The notability standards for the encyclopedia were mostly based on the discretion of the staff, and whether the portrayed individuals were of general interest at the time. Trustees in commercial organisations, editors of trade press and successful traders were automatically included.
In a book review, the newspaper Aftenposten
Aftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
stated that the Mercantile Biographical Encyclopedia had a "pretentious" title as it was a "strange mixture of book and advertising". According to the reviewer Tharald Borgir there were several errors, and he lamented that Hoffstad in the foreword had disclaimed responsibility for such errors. The reviewer found it "unbelievable" that the book was being offered, and that "gullible" people paid to buy it. He suggested that the Ministry of Justice be on guard for further "backslide" regarding the "freedom of liability" when it came to such information. Hoffstad replied that although a large reference work was bound to contain some errors, his helpers had been reliable, and Borgir had been inquired six times to aid Hoffstad with the encyclopedia without replying.
The encyclopedia was published in a second, revised edition in 1939, this time by Halvorsen & Larsen. In October 2009, Project Runeberg
Project Runeberg
Project Runeberg is an initiative patterned after Project Gutenberg that publishes freely available electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries...
scanned and made the encyclopedia's first edition available online.