The study of Polish collection in the Russian National Library: the 21st century

Abstract

The study of Polish old printed books in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg is currently divided into two essential areas. First of them is the search and identification of remained copies. The main features of those copies, such as typography of the publication, decoration, and binding became the main objects of the researchers’ exploration. This makes possible to include a book into the sources of the cultural history of the region. The findings which seems to be of the special importance are the specimens which might be tied with famous historical figures. As an example, the autograph of Józef Andrzej Załuski could be found in the collection of the Department of Rare Books of the Russian National Library. Another aspect of the work is the identification and description of the complexes of books, that are somehow connected with the cultural history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These could be the parts of personal libraries, as were previously unknown books from the collection of King Sigismund Augustus or the Sapieha’s family. The selection principle can be different, for example, the aim of the researcher could be finding books, published by the famous European publishing house.