The Center for Business History is undertaking a book project that recounts and examines the life of Per Olof (Pelle) Söderberg (1836–1881) within the context of industrial history. The project’s aim is to document and narrate Per Olof Söderberg’s biography based on new research. He is one of several successful entrepreneurs who shaped Swedish business life during the 19th century, as well as a leading figure in the Söderberg family and one of Sweden’s first commercial agents at the national level. The project also aims to fill a gap—Sweden’s economic development during the 19th century has been studied from a variety of perspectives, but biographies of individual entrepreneurs, in which the role of individuals is analyzed within a broader historical context, are far less common.

The project is divided into two phases. The first phase involves conducting research focused on a range of primary sources identified as part of a preparatory research project in 2017, supported by the Torsten Söderberg Foundation. For the most part, these sources (private materials, public archives, various industrial archives, newspaper clippings, etc.) have not been analyzed previously. Text production takes place in conjunction with the research work. In the project’s second phase, book production will take place, including editorial work, image research, layout, and printing. During the course of the project, two seminars will be organized with representatives from CfN and other stakeholders to evaluate sources and the manuscript. The book about Pelle Söderberg will be published by Förlaget Näringslivshistoria and presented at events including the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2019.