The Gustavo Gili publishing house was created in Barcelona in 1902. Over the course of its history, the company has played a very active role in the world of publishing. It has carried out highly innovative publishing projects in the field of technical and artistic books and has been internationally ranked since its founding.
+ informationEditorial Gustavo Gili collection at the Biblioteca de Catalunya
The collection joined the Biblioteca de Catalunya in 2014 through a family donation. It contains more than 180,000 documents produced between 1902 and 1998. The documentation, which is extremely comprehensive, primarily includes letters, copies of letters, invoices, contracts, publishing projects, budgets, etc.
Catalogue of publishers from the Bergnes de las Casas collection (Biblioteca de Catalunya)
More information and documentation on the works produced
Catalogue of publishers of Catalonia until 1939 (Biblioteca de Catalunya)
Donation to the Picasso Museum
Website of the publishing house
Exhibition: Editorial Gustavo Gili, Publishing Excellence (Biblioteca de Catalunya)
Gustavo Gili. Una historia (1902-2012)
Llanas, Manuel. L'Edició a Catalunya. Segle XX (fins a 1939). Barcelona: Gremi d'Editors de Catalunya, 2005.
El Departament de Cultura rep el fons de l'editorial Gustavo Gili
The Gustavo Gili publishing house was created in Barcelona in 1902. Over the course of its history, the company has played a very active role in the world of publishing. It has carried out highly innovative publishing projects in the field of technical and artistic books and has been internationally ranked since its founding.
It has been located on carrer Rosselló in Barcelona from 1960 until 2015, in a building designed by Joaquim Gili and Francesc Bassó which won the FAD design award in 1961.
The company has been led by four generations: Gustau Gili i Roig, Gustau Gili Esteve, Gustau Gili Torra and currently the Gili Galfetti brothers.
It is a cutting-edge publishing house in the field of art both nationally and internationally.
Even though Gustavo Gili began publishing a wide variety of topics which encompassed great literary authors like Joan Maragall, Rudyard Kipling and Narcís Oller, it tended to publish design books, a field in which it is at the forefront.
From its founding, this publishing house enlisted the help of prominent painters and illustrators.
Illustration by Enric C. Ricart in Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. La Vida es sueño: drama en tres jornadas. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1933.
Illustration by Josep de Togores in Calderon de la Barca, Pedro. El Alcalde de Zalamea: drama en tres jornadas. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1933.
Illustration by Xavier Nogués in Alarcón, Pedro Antonio de. El Sombrero de tres picos. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1934.
The collections initially covered literary works, but later they focused on design and architecture and specialised in other disciplines as well.
Index and first page of the catalogue from 1925, where several collections are cited.
The architecture magazine 2G, published in Spanish and English since 1997, is the only magazine in its catalogue.
The publishing house issued the complete works of Joan Maragall, just after his death on commission from his widow and children. The collection at the Biblioteca de Catalunya conserves the correspondence between Clara Noble, his widow, and the publishing house.
This sentimental novel from the late 18th century was extraordinarily successful in the 19th century and even into the 20th century. The Gustavo Gili publishing house issued a luxury edition with illustrations by Opisso.
The work by Casares, which was extremely important in the Spanish language, was based on the English and French models, Peter Mark Roget’s Thesaurus and the "Boissière".
Gili Roig, Gustavo. Bosquejo de una política del libro. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1944.
An essential work in book policy which also shows the publisher’s numerous contacts.
The catalogue offered editions of Spanish classics published with painstaking designs.
Work illustrated by Picasso, a contributor to the publishing house and friend of Gustau Gili i Esteve.