Geca Kon (1973–1941) opened his first bookshop in Belgrade in 1901, and at the same time embarked upon a career as a publisher, at first producing works of law, social sciences and literature, as well as high school and university textbooks. He published the works of Serbia’s most eminent literary authors and scholars, such as Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, Branislav Nušić, Jovan Skerlić, Tihomir Djordjević, Slobodan Jovanović, Konstantin Jireček’s History of the Serbs, Vladmir Dvorniković’s Characterology of Yugoslavs, Jovan Cvijić’s The Balkan Peninsula and the encyclopaedic edition The Serbian People in the 19th Century. Between the two world wars his publishing house brought out more than five thousand different titles, which made it the strongest publisher in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1932 Kon opened a new bookshop known as “Geca Kon’s Publishing Bookshop” in the building at 12 Knez Mihailova Street he had purchased from Petar and Milovan Marić. The building was constructed in 1928 after a design by Radoslav Todorović. The bookshop soon became a meeting place of the literary and intellectual world. During the forty years of dedicated work, until his tragic death in 1941, Kon considerably improved publishing and bookselling practices in Serbia following advanced European models.

Службени гласни РС бр. 9/09