Book collection of Józef Kalasanty Szaniawski in the University Library in Warsaw

Abstract

The article presents part of the book collection of Józef Kalasanty Szaniawski (1764-1843), philosopher, historian, literary critic, lawyer, publicists, politician and bibliophile. The collection was bought in 1846 by the Government Library in Warsaw, active in the years 1831-1862. The Government Library almost replaced the University Library in Warsaw, closed by the Russians after the November Uprising collapse in 1931. It consisted (among others) of 3170 positions from the Szaniawski collection, registered in the Government Library inventory of 1846. The whole collection was much larger, it amounted to at least 7000 editions of publications of that time, as well as incunabula, printings of 16^th and 17^th centuries, cartography and graphics. The author based on the directory developed on the inventory and preserved books – most of the Szaniawski collection remained until nowadays. The article presents results of formal and content analysis of this collection, and reconstruction of the research workshop of the collector, which enabled the author to evaluate relation between scientific, political, and clerical works of Szaniawski and his book collection.