Printing works Kryl & Scotti / Karel Kryl in the mirror of bibliophile media and competitions

The study attempts to evaluate the contribution of the printing works Kryl & Scotti (later Karel Kryl), located at Nový Jičín and later at Kroměříž, to the creation of beautiful books in the Czech lands, as viewed in a broader context. It is founded upon statistical assessment of deep probes, plunging into book reviews published in bibliophile periodicals between 1925‒1946, further on the results of competitions for the most beautiful Czech books in the period 1929‒1942 and, finally, also upon the extent of interest shown by various publishing companies in the work of this printing house. The analysis of the obtained data indicates that there was hardly any other Czech or Moravian polygraphic company ‒ with the sole exception of Průmyslová tiskárna in Prague (Industrial Printing Works) ‒ whose books would arise more vivid interest among the demanding book reviewers, than have those books of this company. However, the prestigious competitions aimed at finding the nicest Czech books, still, are seen to have left Kryl & Scotti / Karel Kryl lagging behind the leading Prague printing works, namely the State Printing, Industrial Printing Works and the printing works of Orbis.