The private book collections of the Old Believers in Poland

Abstract

The article is a shortened version of a chapter entitled “Libraries and Readers”, being a part of a doctoral dissertation called ”The culture of the book among Old Believers in Poland”, written under the direction of Professor Barbara Bieńkowska. The dissertation presents the history of collecting private libraries by Old Believers living in historical borders of Poland from the and of the 19th century up to now. On the basis of the literature of the subject as well as the analysis of publications issued for Old Believers in the period 1701-1987 (for the first time made by the author), and the state of 25 collections of books coming from 13 places in Olsztyn and Suwałki voivodships (158 book items were registered), the author discusses ways of purchasing books, the size, the character, and the value of collections. The core of the collections was manuscripts and prints which came with their owners from Russia. From the beginning of the 18th century the collections were completed with prints pressed in Poland or hand-copied. Though Old Believers tried to collect as many books as possible only in a few homes greater number of books could be found (30 at the most). Most, frequently an Old Believer owned one or some books, first of all psalters and elementary books. Apart from religious literature, which was indispensable for the purposes of worship), books for reading (”czetii knigi”) were collected, mainly dealing with early Christian and Old Russian tradition, and the history of schisma. The third kind of books owned by Old Believers consists of manuals for teaching religion as well as Old Slavonic language. Apart from books Old Believers collected periodicals and Orthodox calendars. They also willingly copied and read religious and historical as well as moralizing poems. Books dealing with religious subjects are still widely read, borrowed, copied and respected as well as still are the object and the instrument of worship of Old Believers.