Works of the old Polish bookbinders in the foreign collections – reflections and observations

Abstract

The article (based on the queries carried out in the last decade) presents the remarks on the status of works of Polish bookbinders (and foreign bookbinders who have worked on the Polish lands) since the Middle Ages to the 1st half of the 20th century. The discussed works are kept in libraries and museums as well as in private collections in Europe and the United States. In particular, it refers to institutions that keep the greatest amount and/ or the most valuable Polish bindings (especially Russia, Sweden, Germany and France). Particular attention is paid to the circumstances –  often dramatic – in which those works became a part of foreign collections in the course of the centuries. The author on the one hand discusses evaluation of advancements in identification/inventory of those works provided by foreign and Polish researchers, and on the other outlines the research perspectives concerning this characteristic category of Polonica.