Atlantis

The Publishing House and its History

Martin Hürlimann founded Atlantis Verlag in Berlin in 1930. When he was looking for a picture book for his first daughter, he was disappointed by the offer and decided, together with his wife Bettina Hürlimann-Kiepenheuer, to publish children's books themselves. In 1939, the couple moved their publishing house to Zurich. The Atlantis picture books became a program that set standards; shaped by the publisher, who on the one hand helped design her books down to the last detail and on the other hand was active worldwide (IBBY, BIB). Titles from this period are still in the programme today, such as "Der Xaver und der Wastl" (1962) by Heidrun Petrides.

Atlantis Verlag also published illustrated books, music books and world literature (e.g. Max Frisch) and was characterised by the personal interests of the publishing couple. In 1981, the publishing house was split up. The Pro Juventute Foundation took over the children's book section, combining high-quality picture books with practical advice for parents. The Atlantis literature program was revived in 2021. Today Atlantis is part of Kampa Verlag AG.

Program

Atlantis picture books set accents in terms of content and graphics; one focus is on emphatically individual styles, such as "Die zweite Arche" by Heinz Janisch and Hannes Binder. Despite unusual ideas and illustrations, Atlantis picture books remain close to the audience: Sonja Bougaeva has gained great attention with her books and at the same time reached many children with her books. Young illustrators such as Laura D'Arcangelo and Raphaël Kolly have also established themselves in the picture book world. The works of the successful duo Lorenz Pauli and Kathrin Schärer regularly become bestsellers and delight children, booksellers and critics.

The popular and successful non-fiction picture books in the 'atlantis-thema' series are narrated like picture books and detailed like non-fiction books. Accompanying materials for many titles are available as a free download on the publisher's homepage. Each non-fiction picture book is individually designed, developed by experienced authors and accompanied by experts.

Around 150 picture books are available, including the popular verse, game and craft books by Susanne Stöcklin-Meier and the Barbapapa picture books. Atlantis Verlag's children's and young adult book program has been expanded since 2022.