In 1922, August Laube sen. (1889-1983), barely 24 years old, founded the book and art antiquarian bookshop August Laube on Torgasse in Zurich. He was trained by C. Lang and H. Eisemann in Zurich, and thanks to the connections he made with the leading antiquarian booksellers of the time, he was soon successful. By the end of the 1920s, the house was already a well-known address for collectors and scholars. His areas of interest were fine books, German and French literature, Swiss graphic art and, of course, autographs of poets and musicians. He helped to build up the Beethoven collection of H. C. Bodmer, now in Bonn, and had lively contact with Stephan Zweig, parts of whose collection are now in the British Museum.