Books from the Żaba of Zbylitowska Gora family library in the collections of the Juliusz Słowacki Municipal Public Library in Tarnow

Abstract

Prior to 1945, Tarnow region was homeland to numerous landowning families, among whom the Żaba clan of the Kościesza coat of arms played a prominent role, with its leading representatives: Napoleon Feliks Żaba (1805–1885) – participant of the November Uprising, emigre politician, traveller and poet; Stanisław Żaba (1838–1919) – second lieutenant in the British army, member of numerous English clubs, and social activist in his native country; Roman Żaba (1864–1945) – colonel in the Austro-Hungarian army and general in revived Polish armed forces; Franciszek Feliks Żaba (1906–1982) – engineer at the Nitric Chemistry Plant in Tarnow and offi cer of the Home Army during World War II.

The owners of Zbylitowska Gora gathered in their manor house an interesting book collection, a fragment of which, after the land reform of 1945, was appropriated by the Juliusz Słowacki Municipal Public Library in Tarnow. In its present state, the collection is dominated by English works of fi ction, published in various series and multivolume sets. These books are bound in different types of bindings, provided by the publisher as well as ordered from artisans in Poland and abroad. The books bear numerous provenance marks: book plates, stamps, signatures, and dedications. The extant fragment of the original collection from Zbylitowska Gora encompasses rare editions with interesting bookbinder, bookseller, and antique shop signs, which are uncommon in Polish libraries. Due to this, the collection is of importance not only to the Tarnow region, but also to the whole country.