Arbeitet nie!

Actually, the revolution was supposed to be made, not editing, distribution, or PR: More by chance than intention, Hanna Mittelstädt, Lutz Schulenburg, and Pierre Gallissaires entered the publishing business in the early 1970s. Their concept of freedom at that time included the emancipatory attitude of the post-68 movement and the exploration of new forms beyond political work and political literature. It was about the wealth of pleasure, knowledge, and autonomy.

Ten years after Lutz Schulenburg's sudden death on May 1, 2013, Hanna Mittelstädt reflects on the first forty years of Nautilus and brings to life the early days of the publishing house through numerous documents, photos, and finds from the publishing correspondence of companions and collaborators.

She recounts the recording of the only LP in the history of the publishing house, the legal dispute with a satire magazine over the publishing name, the acquisition of manuscripts across the Iron Curtain and over prison walls, the exhausting disputes over rights and money, the ever-circling vulture of bankruptcy, personal doubts, and ultimately the fairy-tale success of the million-selling bestseller.

A large pile of books has accumulated throughout this adventure, each copy representing a small chance for societal and individual change. The world would be better if they had all been read.