Rogner & Bernhard was founded in 1968 by Klaus P. Rogner, Marianne Bernhard and Axel Matthes. Their publishing adventure started with a curious combination of religion and sex: »The Holy Bible« by Martin Luther paired with the Austrian pornography classic »Josefine Mutzenbacher«. Especially the publication of the latter caused a ruckus, making headlines and money, while also getting all kinds of lawyers involved. So over the next few years, Rogner & Bernhard acquired an excellent reputation for its mix of the sophisticated and the salacious. The balance sheets looked a little less stellar, though. When in 1973 bankruptcy loomed, the owners negotiated with a number of German publishing notables such as Suhrkamp's Siegfried Unseld. Later that year, the publisher Heinrich Ellermann and his daughter Antje bought the firm.Founders Rogner and Bernhard soon left R&B, and Matthes launched his own venture named Matthes & Seitz. Until early 2004, Antje Ellermann ran the firm as its majority owner and managing director. During this time, she also brought in a number of co-publishers, including Nikolaus Hansen who later left to head Rowohlt and marebuchverlag.

As of April 2004, there are three new owners - the editor Johanna von Rauch and the journalists Konstantin Richter and Jakob Augstein - each controlling a share of 30%. Ellermann and Hansen retain minority stakes. While owners, publishers, authors and – of course – times have changed, R&B has remained amazingly true to its mission. Eccentric surrealists like André Breton, George Bataille, Paul Elaurd or Antoine Artaud defined the firm in the 1970s. Then the 1980s brought along some witty Anglosaxons, such as Woody Allen, Tom Sharpe and Douglas Adams. More funny Anglosaxons came in the 1990s: Amistead Maupin, Greil Marcus, T.C. Boyle, Irvine Welsh and Nick Hornby. Then, some young and hip Germans joined the fray: Alexa Hennig von Lange, Ulf Poschardt, Sky Nonhoff, Marie Pohl et al..

Naturally, all of the books that R&B has done over the last three decades differ in style, substance and outlook. Nonetheless the firm has remained committed to publishing texts that are surprising, quirky and unconventional. Luckily, an exclusive cooperation with the mail-order and bookstore chain Zweitausendeins has allowed R&B to reach a like-minded readership and to produce a number of bestsellers.

Publishers Weekly, on a recent trip to Germany, called Rogner & Bernhard a »devilishly innovative« company. We've come up with another moniker. We now call ourselves: »Der erstaunliche Verlag«.