Karol Zabrzeski, the mayor of 17th century Warsaw, and his book collection

Abstract

After analysis of provenance of early printed books from the Early Printed Books Department of the University of Warsaw Library, the book collection of Karol Zabrzeski, the Warsaw burgher from the 17^th century, was selected. The article describes briefly his life, origins of his book collection (previous owners), and its history after Zabrzeski’s death, as well as the content analysis. The following groups of texts were determined and presented: literary texts and commentaries; grammar, lexicography, rhetoric textbooks; theology, religious literature; medicine, philosophy; mathematics and astronomy; history, geography, the law; varia (magic, pedagogy, politics, chronology, etc.). The collection is incomplete, and today we know neither about its size during the owner’s life, nor an amount of its particular sections. The author, referring to the provenance material, assumes that Zabrzeski was rather a bibliophile than a researcher, and aestethics rather than content was a criterion of purchasing books. The burgher’s library includes (among others) perfect editions from the publishers such as Froben, Estienne, Plantin and the Manutius. Clearly visible is lack of Polish works in the collection, as well as a large number of the dissenters’ works. Images of pages with provenance notes are annexed.