Our History

In 1934, German publisher Dr Lothar Mohrenwitz left Nazi Berlin and established an office for publishing services in London. Until 1947 he offered his services to local literary agents and German writers in exile. The office was located on Paultons Square with "mohrbooks" as its cable address. Mohrenwitz moved to Zurich in the early 1950s and established Mohrbooks Literary Agency.

After a few years he was joined by Rainer Heumann who became a partner and took over the agency after Mohrenwitz' death in 1962. Rainer Heumann developed the agenting business and established the agency as a privately owned share-holders company with limited liabilities under Swiss law. After Heumann's death in 1996 Sabine Ibach who had joined the agency in 1970 took over the majority of shares and stayed at its helm until 2013 overseeing great commercial and literary successes and economic growth. After her retirement in 2013 Sebastian Ritscher who had joined the agency in 1989 took over the majority of shares - as a representative of the "fourth generation".