1997

AB -- Bibliographies & Catalogs


97-1/2-035

Bibliographie der Bibliographien: BB; Jahresverzeichnis selbständig und unselbständig erschienener Bibliographien [Bibliography of Bibliographies: BB; Annual List of Monographic and "Hidden" Bibliographies]. Comp. Die Deutsche Bibliothek (Deutsche Bücherei Leipzig, Deutsche Bibliothek Frankfurt a. M., Deutsches Musikarchiv Berlin). Frankfurt am Main: Buchhändler-Vereinigung. 30 cm. Ceased with vol. 5. 1995. ISSN 0301-4614

Vol. 3. 1993 (1994). 236 p. ISBN 3-7657-1823-8: DM 192.00

Vol. 4. 1994 (1995). 287 p. ISBN 3-7657-1879-3: DM 192.00

Vol. 5. 1995 (1996). 320 p. ISBN 3-7657-1956-0: DM 192.00

This work, which perhaps should be more properly called a "Bibliography of German Bibliographies," ceased publication as of volume 5, which covers 1995. After 1993, the paper quality improved, and the number of titles cited continually grew, presumably because it was possible to include more "hidden" bibliographies-those included in monographs and in periodical articles. This bibliography will be missed, especially since it has been the only important ongoing bibliography of bibliographies produced in Germany since Bibliographische Berichte ceased publication in 1988. We recommend that the Deutsche Bibliothek (the German national library), when cataloging monographs with "hidden" bibliographies, henceforth make specific reference to these bibliographies in the notes and include them in subject section 3 of Die Deutsche Bibliographie (the national bibliography), "Nachschlagewerke, Bibliographien" (Reference Works, Bibliographies), as cross references. [sh/mrh]

97-1/2-036

Iter Italicum: accedunt alia itinera; A Finding List of Uncatalogued or Incompletely Catalogued Humanistic Manuscripts of the Renaissance in Italian and Other Libraries. Paul Oskar Kristeller. Leiden [et al.]: Brill. 25 cm.

Cumulative index to volumes 1-6. 1997. 581 p. ISBN 90-04-10592-1: Hfl. 292.50

The history, content, and significance of Iter Italicum, by Paul Oskar Kristeller, were described in the review of the CD-ROM version (see RREO 96-2/3-129; RREA 2:23). The combined index to volumes 1-6 of the print version has now been issued. It is based on the indexes to the individual volumes and was prepared by the publisher rather than by specialists at the Warburg Institute in London. Combining indexes with different entries often takes almost as much effort as a new compilation. The compilers have been cautious about combining entries under variant forms of personal names. Personal names predominate, but the index also includes place names, titles, literary genres, and subject terms. The printed index is welcome despite the publication of the CD-ROM because only a few libraries that own the printed edition will also buy the CD-ROM. [sh/gh]

97-1/2-037

Der Buchdruck im 15. Jahrhundert: eine Bibliographie [Printing in the Fifteenth Century: A Bibliography]. Ed. Severin Corsten and Reimar Walter Fuchs with Kurt Hans Staub. Stuttgart: Hiersemann. 28 cm. (Hiersemanns bibliographische Handbücher, 7). ISBN 3-7772-8812-8

Part 2. Nachträge und Ergänzungen. Die Register [Supplement and Indexes]. 1993. p. 701-864. ISBN 3-7772-9317-2: DM 230.00

The main volume of this bibliography of incunabular research, volume 1 (the first 700 pages!), appeared in 1988. The first section of the volume under review here, volume 2, contains a little over 1,000 supplementary entries (not the 1,500 the preface promises). Neither the original bibliography nor the supplement appears to be exhaustive. The indexes list (1) printers and publishers, (2) facsimile and text editions, (3) book collectors other than libraries, (4) authors and other persons. Because the entries are not numbered, the indexes refer only to page numbers, making its use a bit cumbersome. Although this is an important bibliography, concerns about its comprehensiveness and its complete lack of a subject index are negative factors. Keeping abreast of the current research in incunabulum studies would be greatly simplified if this bibliography were supplemented by an annual continuation bibliography. [sh/gh]

97-1/2-038

Katalog der Inkunabeln in Bibliotheken der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart [Catalog of Incunabula in the Libraries of the Rottenburg-Stuttgart Diocese]. Comp. Heribert Hummel and Thomas Wilhelmi with Gerd Brinkhus and Ewa Dubowik-Belka. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1993. 341 p. 25 cm. (Inkunabeln in Baden-Württemberg, 1). ISBN 3-447-03402-5: DM 98.00

In contrast to the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke (GW), which is proceeding very slowly, more and more local and regional catalogs of incunabula are coming out. This one, the first in a series of holdings in Baden-Württemberg, is exemplary in many respects. It describes the 617 incunabula belonging to 21 libraries connected with Catholic institutions in the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. The most significant of these are the Tübingen Theological Seminary, known as Wilhelmsstift, and the Rottenburg Seminary Library. The introduction includes an account of library policy in Württemberg in the age of secularization. The catalog is arranged alphabetically by author and uniform title. Contrary to the practice in most catalogs, including GW, entry is made under the names given as authors in the books themselves, with cross-references if the works were later determined to be by other authors. This is laudable because the works were known in the late Middle Ages under their original attributions. There is a certain inconsistency (stemming from the choice between Latin and Italian forms) in establishing name entries for Italian authors. The works being described are predominantly in the areas of theology and canon law. About 15 German-language titles are included, some very rare. The concordances and indexes show the same care as the descriptions of individual titles. In addition to concordances to the usual authorities (GW, Hain, Copinger, Reichling, and Goff), they include references to Vera Sack's Die Inkunabeln der Universitätsbibliothek und anderer öffentlicher Sammlungen in Freiburg in Breisgau und Umgebung, which clearly influenced this catalog. For bindings there is a concordance to Kyriss and Haebler. Four indexes are present: the main index, the printer index (arranged by place), the provenance index, and the bindings index. The main index includes all the personal names and place names from the other indexes, as well as subject terms, often a useful juxtaposition. The printer index shows that more than half of the place names are in southern Germany. The indexes of provenance and bindings are exemplary; they include biographical or historical information on former owners or libraries. The catalog has 32 illustrations, most well-chosen. This volume sets a high standard for the rest of the series. It belongs in all larger libraries, especially those with collections of incunabula. [pa/gh]

 97-1/2-039

Katalog prvotisku zámeckych a hradních knihoven v Ceské Republice [Catalog of the Incunabula in Castle and Palace Libraries in the Czech Republic]. Ed. Jitky Simákové, Eduarda Machácková et al. Praha: Národní Muzeum, 1991-1992. 4 vols. 24 cm. (Sborník Národního Muzea v Praze: Rada C, Literární historie, . . .). Kcs. 80.00. (Národní Muzeum, Knihovna, Václavské nám. 68, CS-11579 Praha 1)

Vol. 1. 1991. p. 1-84 (. . ., 33, 1988, 3/4)

Vol. 2. 1991. p. 85-206 (. . ., 34, 1989, 1/4)

Vol. 3. 1991. p. 207-268 (. . ., 35, 1990, 1/2)

Vol. 4. 1992. p. 269-407. ill. (. . ., 35, 1990, 3/4)

Bohemia and Moravia, like other regions of Central Europe, are very rich in castles and palaces. Despite the effects of wars since the 15th century, there are still 320 libraries in castles and palaces with a total of more than 1,600,000 volumes. The Czech National Museum in Prague has been in charge of these libraries since 1954. Until early in the 1990s, more than 400,000 titles had been cataloged for a union catalog of Czech palace libraries. The present catalog describes 1,031 incunabula held in 36 libraries (five of which hold over 100 titles each).

From a German perspective, the palace library at Kynzvart (Königswart), the Fürstenberg library at Krivoklát (Pürglitz Castle), and the palace library at Cesky Krumlov (Böhmisch Krummau) are the most interesting because parts of their holdings came from collections in southern Germany.

The catalog is in four fascicles that can easily be bound together. The first three contain the actual catalog. Detailed descriptions are given only for unique titles, otherwise references are made to standard bibliographies. Information on the individual copies-rubrication, marginalia, provenance, and binding-is given in notes. The Czech abbreviations are spelled out in Czech, German, and English at the beginning of the catalog. There is a German table of contents at the end, and a one-page summary in German of the Czech introduction is on page 14. Fascicle 4 contains the indexes (name index of editors, translators, etc.; printers and publishers; places of printing; chronological index; and provenance) and concordances (to GW, Hain, Copinger, Reichling, selected citations from BMC and Goff, and several Czech catalogs of incunabula). There are 26 illustrations on plates, most of good quality. All larger German libraries should have this catalog because of the many connections to southwestern German library history. For libraries outside Germany, it is a valuable contribution to Central European library history. [pa/gh]

97-1/2-040

Incunabula Gottingensia: Inkunabelkatalog der Niedersächsischen Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen [Incunabula Catalog of the Lower Saxony State and University Library at Göttingen]. Comp. Helmut Kind. Ed. Elmar Mittler. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. 25 cm.

Vol. 1. Sections Adagia to Biblia. 1995. x, 322 p. ill. ISBN 3-447-03495-5: DM 158.00

97-1/2-041

Gutenberg und der europäische Frühdruck: zur Erwerbungsgeschichte der Göttinger Inkunabelsammlung [Gutenberg and Early European Printing: Acquisition History of the Göttingen Incunabula Collection]. Helmut Kind and Helmut Rohlfing. Göttingen: Wallstein-Verlag, 1995. 112 p. ill. 27 cm. - ISBN 3-89244-204-5: DM 30.00

Since the end of the World War II, the question of the relationship between the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke and catalogs of holdings from individual libraries has been posed over and over again. Almost 20 years ago, Elmar Hertrich addressed this issue ("75 Jahre Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke", Aus dem Antiquariat 10 [1979], A345-A354) and described how the listing of textual variants took precedence over the description of individual copies. However, "the very strength of a local catalog of incunabula lies in the description of individual characteristics, bindings and traces of use and reception over the centuries as well as in the investigation of provenance and previous owners." (Hertrich, op. cit. A350)

Helmut Kind's catalog is not the first reference tool for Göttingen's incunabula, but it is an important replacement for the earlier card catalogs and indexes that no longer meet the needs of present-day research. The catalog preserves the order in which the collection itself is organized: alphabetically by subject. The first volume, representing about a quarter of the entire collection, contains the subjects Adagia, Aesthetica, Antiquitates, Archaeologia, Ars militaris, Astronomia, Auctores Graeci, Auctores Latini, Balneologia and Biblia. The descriptions are concise and well done: aspects peculiar to the Göttingen copies are all included. Especially worth mentioning is the special care given to issues of provenance. All of the indexes, including author, places of publication, printers and editors, provenance, and concordances, are comprehensive and worthy of praise. This catalog delivers all that one would hope for in a catalog of local holdings.

Gutenberg und der europäische Frühdruck is a companion volume published on the occasion of the German librarians' convention held in Göttingen in 1995, and describes the highlights and treasures of the Göttingen library. As small as this volume is, it nonetheless includes several excellent indexes, 16 color plates, and a number of black and white photographs as well. This work serves as an excellent introduction to the subject of incunabula. [jm/erh]

97-1/2-043

Die Inkunabeln in der Erzbischöflichen Akademischen Bibliothek Paderborn [The Incunabula of the Episcopal Academic Library in Paderborn]. Matthias Hartig, Karl Hengst, Michael Reker, Hermann-Josef Schmalor. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1993. xxvii, 443 p. ill. 24 cm. Alternative title: Paderborner Inkunabel-Katalog (PIK). ISBN 3-447-03310-X: DM 198.00

While the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke continues to progress at a very slow pace, an increasing number of catalogs of incunabula from individual libraries or regional areas are being published. Such catalogs, with their special indexes of provenance and bindings, can provide us with valuable insights into library and cultural history. It is from this point of view that the catalog of incunabula from the Episcopal Academic Library (Erzbischöfliche Akademische Bibliothek; EAB) in Paderborn is to be reviewed. The lengthy introduction provides primarily a detailed history of this library and the major sources of the current incunabula collection. The catalog itself is organized alphabetically by author or title; the actual descriptions are very brief and often include collations. There are inconsistencies in the presentation of the descriptions and the bibliographic citations are often inadequate. Not surprisingly, the majority of the incunabula contain theological or canonical texts. There are only a relatively small number of texts in the vernacular (both High and Low German). It is interesting to note that 37 places of publication are represented in this collection: two-thirds of the books were produced along the Rhine, primarily in Strasbourg, Basel, and Cologne. Also heavily represented are Nuremberg and Venice.

Some confusion arises from the inclusion of works printed in the early sixteenth century: it would have been better to list imprints from 1500-1515 in a separate appendix. Once again, attention must be drawn to the inflated bibliography that not only lists many titles irrelevant to a catalog of incunabula, but also contains serious gaps and errors. There are a total of nine indexes divided into two groups: those relevant to the imprints and those relevant to the Paderborn library's holdings. The useful indexes of prices, illuminations, and manuscript fragments are laudable. On the other hand, the index of bindings, described with such promise in the introduction, is a disappointment. Since the work of Ernst Kyriss lacks examples of northern German bookbinders, the inclusion of more information on the late Gothic bindings from the Paderborn library would have been most welcome. Since the detailed description of bindings is one of the raisons d'etre of a local catalog of incunabula, many researchers will be sorely disappointed by this work. [pa/erh]

97-1/2-044

Druckort Mannheim: Mannheimer Verleger und ihre Drucke von 1608 bis 1803 [Place of Publication Mannhein: Mannheim Publishers and Their Imprints from 1608 to 1803]. Ed. Heinz E. Veitenheimer. Frankfurt am Main [et al.]: Lang, 1996. 244 p. ill. 21 cm. ISBN 3-631-49571-4: DM 89.00

In this work, Heinz Veitenheimer lists 1905 titles published in Mannheim between 1605 (the year of the founding of the city) and 1803 (handing of the city over to Baden). The book is divided into chapters according to publishers: titles are then given chronologically. An index at the end includes the few plates, the names of publishers, authors and titles, but a list of artists as well as works by subject or genre are missing. The choice of presentation by publisher instead of author makes it difficult for a researcher to determine who published what with whom, and unfortunately ephemera and printed music have been excluded. The author does not explain his method of bibliographic citation, which is made even more unclear by the page layout and format chosen. More illustrations would have been a welcome addition that would have allowed the reader to learn more about the various typefaces and page layouts used by the various publishers. The fact that this bibliography has been published in an individual volume by Peter Lang instead of in the database of the Southwest German Library Consortium (Südwestdeutscher Bibliotheksverbund) will not do much toward making this piece of Mannheim publishing history-and an interesting facet of Enlightenment culture-available to researchers. [rni/erh]

97-1/2-047

Biblia: biblioteca del libro italiano antico [Library of the Old Italian Book]. Ed. Amedeo Quondam. Milano: Editrice Bibliografica. 30 cm

La biblioteca volgare [The Vernacular Library]

Vol. 1. Libri di poesia [Poetry Books]. Ed. Italo Pantani. 1996. xxii, 488 p. ISBN 88-7075-457-X: Lit. 200,000

This is the first volume of a major work planned as a bibliography of Italian imprints of the 15th and 16th centuries. Biblia will be published in four thematic series, each consisting of several volumes: La biblioteca volgare (7 volumes), La biblioteca umanistica (4 volumes), La biblioteca religiosa (6 volumes), La biblioteca delle professioni (3 volumes).

Volume 1 of the series "La biblioteca volgare," Libri di poesia, lists alphabetically by author or title 5,270 titles of works published in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries, regardless of language, as well as Italian-language works published outside of Italy and incunabula up to the year 1600. Indexes provide further access by co-author, printer/publisher, chronology, and place of publication. It can be inferred from the introduction that this monumental bibliographical undertaking is based primarily on the evaluation of secondary sources. For the incunabula, Indice generale degli incunaboli delle biblioteche d'Italia (IGI) will eventually provide better coverage. For the 16th century, the new, as yet incomplete Italian union catalog Le edizioni italiane del XVI secolo (EDIT) (RREO 97-1/2-048) is accomplishing the same.

The first impression of this monumental undertaking is not one hundred percent positive, mainly because the entries are taken from secondary sources and not from the book in hand. Nonetheless, it does provide a comprehensive view of publishing during the Italian Renaissance and a balance to the slowly progressing EDIT, and its subject organization will be useful to Renaissance specialists. [sh/rm]

97-1/2-048

Le edizioni italiane del XVI secolo: censimento nazionale [Italian Imprints of the 16th Century: National Census]. Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle Biblioteche Italiane e per le Informazioni Bibliografiche. Roma. 31 cm. Cited as: EDIT 16. ISBN 88-7107-010-0 (Editrice Bibliografica, Viale Vittorio Veneto 24, I-20124 Milano)

Vol. 4. C, Chiesa di S. Barbara-Czernius. 1996. xxiii, 327 p. ill. ISBN 88-7107-068-2: Lit. 150,000

This union catalog of 16th-century Italian imprints, the first volume of which appeared in 1986, is making halting progress, especially when compared with its German counterpart, VD16 (RREA 2:26), which completed its 22-volume catalog in 12 years. Since volume 3 was reviewed in RREO 94-3/4-350, it will suffice here to note that volume 4 completes the letter C and that, like volume 3, it contains complex entries, e.g. Cicero and Corpus iuris canonici, which one hopes is the sole explanation for the delayed appearance of volumes 3 and 4. [sh/rm]

97-1/2-049

Italian 17th-century Books in Cambridge Libraries: A Short-title Catalogue. Roberto L. Bruni and D. Wyn Evans. Firenze: Olschki, 1997. 587 p. 24 cm. (Biblioteca di bibliografia italiana, 144) ISBN 88-222-4473-7: Lit. 140,000

97-1/2-050

Le seicentine della Biblioteca Universitaria di Urbino: (1600-1699) [The 17th Century Collection of the University Library of Urbino]. Maria Moranti. Baden-Baden: Koerner, 1997. 555 p. 25 cm. (Bibliotheca bibliographica Aureliana, 156) ISBN 3-87320-156-9: DM 300.00

While countless library catalogs of 16th-century Italian imprints exist and continue to appear (e.g. cf. IFB 96-2/3-136 and RREO 97-1/2-048, above), bibliographies and catalogs of 17th-century Italian imprints remain scarce. An essential contribution to the retrospective national bibliographical control of 17th-century Italy is made by these two new titles, the first from a non-Italian library with an outstanding collection of old Italian imprints at its disposal, the second from an Italian university library with a medium-sized collection of such imprints.

The Cambridge catalog functions as something of a union catalog, listing not only the 4897 imprints from the university's main library collection, but also those from the 37 departmental and private libraries of the colleges. The catalog comprises 5,718 titles published in Italy btween 1601 and 1699, regardless of language (with the exception of Hebrew), as well as Italian-language imprints from other countries, with the exception of imprints from Great Britain, which are listed in the Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America and of English Books Printed in Other Countries (better known as "Wing") (IFB 94-3/4-348). The catalog employs short titles with English-language standardizations, in particular of place names, and annotations are limited to library symbols, classification numbers and sources of information. Indexes provide access by title, name, printer and publisher, printing and publishing location, and chronology. The significance of the Cambridge collection is confirmed by comparing its number of titles with that of other union catalogs such as the NUC; Cambridge's 17th-century Italian imprint collection is by far the largest.

The University of Urbino library's collection of old Italian imprints is the most important in the Marche Region. The bibliography lists 5,280 17th-century imprints, regardless of place of publication and language. Annotations include sources of information and classification numbers, but exclude copy-specific details such as previous ownership. Indexes provide access by variant name, printer and publisher, and printing and publishing location.

The two catalogs complement each other, often covering different authors. These catalogs represent just another small step in the direction of complete bibliographic coverage of the Italian 17th-century imprints, which probably won't be tackled on an international level until after the completion of the aforementioned 16th-century project (RREO 97-1/2-048). [sh/rm]

97-1/2-051

Libros en venta en América latina y Espańa [Books in Print in Latin America and Spain]. San Juan, Puerto Rico: NISC. (NISC Puerto Rico, Calle del Sol 9, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901, Fax [001 787] 724-2886)

1996, September. 1 CD-ROM. $995.00, plus $35.00 shipping and handling

It has long been difficult to find accurate and timely information about new publications from Latin America. Unfortunately, this latest attempt to produce a Books in Print for Spanish-language publications from Latin America and Spain falls short. The 250,000 titles included on this CD-ROM constitute less than half of the probable number of Spanish language books in print, and testing proved that this expensive product also contains some startling factual errors. [kdv/ldb]

97-1/2-052

Bibliografia nacional portuguesa: desde 1975 [Portuguese National Bibliography: Since 1975]. Instituto da Biblioteca Nacional e do Livro, Base Nacional de Dados Bibliográficos. Lisboa: Instituto da Biblioteca Nacional e do Livro; Cambridge: Chadwyck-Healey. ISSN 0873-3171. (Instituto ..., Campo Grande 83, P-1700 Lisboa, FAX 00351 793 3607)

February 1997 release. 1 CD-ROM + User's manual in box. Ł325.00 (Chadwyck-Healey for 2 issues per year)

This CD-ROM was first released in 1995, covering 1989-94, and has since appeared semi-annually. The current edition cites monographs and ongoing collected works since 1975, as well as dissertations and other university publications from 1986 to June of 1996. Of the 136,735 entries, 93% are monographs and 7% are periodicals. They are derived from the Portuguese catalog Porbase, which began being published electronically in 1986, and which is available on the Internet at http://www.ibl.pt/bn/porbase/porbase.html. Porbase also includes Portuguese incunabula and publications from the sixteenth century.

The software used with this CD-ROM is Mini/Micro-CDS/ISIS. It was developed by UNESCO and is free. Minimum system requirements: 286 PC with 640 KB RAM and MS-DOS 3.2. The introductory screens and the manual are available in both Portuguese and English. There is a choice of searching levels, the expert level incorporating Boolean operators and the beginning levels offering online help. One cannot search by year of publication, except via Telnet, between 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at telnet://porbase.biblioteca-nacional.pt.

Since up-to-date review of Portuguese publications for purposes of acquisition is not possible with this CD-ROM, and one can verify citations online, it is probably not necessary to purchase this source. [sah/mrh]

97-1/2-053 through 97-1/2-057 inclusive

An Overview of Retrospective Hungarian National Bibliography

1. Recent Hungarica catalogs from Berlin, Wolfenbüttel, and London have made significant contributions to international Hungarian studies.

1.1.

97-1/2-053

Bestände der Fachbibliothek Finno-Ugristik der Universitätsbibliothek Berlin: Auswahlkatalog [Holdings of the Departmental Library for Finno-Ugric Studies at Berlin University Library: Selected Catalog]. Edward Roy. Berlin: Universitätsbibliothek. (Schriftenreihe der Universitätsbibliothek Berlin, 47)

Pts. 1-4. Geschichte [History]. 1984-1986.

Pt. 5. Geschichte/Geographie [History/Geography]. 1986.

Pt. 6. Ethnographie, Register für Hefte 1-6 [Ethnography; Index for pts. 1-6]. 1987.

Pt. 7. Sprachwissenschaft [Linguistics]. 1988.

Pts. 8-10. Literatur [Literature]. 1989-1991.

The ten fascicles comprising the holdings of the specialized Finno-Ugric collection of the Humboldt University library in Berlin cover the subjects of Hungarian history, geography, ethnography, linguistics and literature. With some 55,000 volumes, they represent-together with comparable holdings in the British Library-the greatest concentration of Hungarian books in Western Europe. The collection is the successor to a "Hungarian Library" founded in 1842 by the "Federation of Hungarian Scholars" in Berlin, whose roots in turn reach back to a set of rare books belonging to Hungarian professors in Wittenberg at the end of the seventeenth century. Worth mentioning are also less recent catalogs of Hungarica holdings at the State and University Library of Lower Saxony in Göttingen (1977) and at the University Library in Jena (1961).

1.2.

97-1/2-054

Ungarische Drucke und Hungarica: 1480-1720; Katalog der Herzog-August-Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel = Magyar és magyar vonatkozású nyomtatványok [Hungarian Imprints and Hungarica: 1470-1720; Catalog of the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel] Ed. S. Katalin Németh. München: Saur, 1993. Parts 1-3. 30 cm. ISBN 3-598-32813-3 (Complete work): DM 1,194.00

These three impressive volumes are presented as the first attempt to index completely the Hungarica collection of a foreign library. The catalog, with nearly 2,400 entries, follows the conventions of the major Wolfenbüttel series "Drucke des Barock 1600-1720." For entry selections, the "Hungarica" concept was updated to conform with the criteria of modern Hungarian retrospective bibliography. It now includes texts in the Hungarian language (hereafter referred to as "linguistically Hungarian"), all books regardless of language or authorship printed within Hungary according to the borders before 1801, e.g. including Transylvania but excluding Dalmatia and Croatia (hereafter referred to as "geographically Hungarian"), and books authored by persons listed in the work Magyarországi szerzök ("Old Geographically Hungarian Authors"), compiled by Pintér and Régi, Budapest, 1989 (hereafter referred to as "ethnically Hungarian").

1.3.

97-1/2-055

Short-title catalogue of Hungarian books printed before 1851 in the British Library. Comp. Geoffrey Arnold. London: British Library, 1995. vii, 354 p. 22 cm. ISBN 0-7123-0313-8: Ł 60.00

The same "Hungarica" criteria as used by Wolfenbüttel were followed by the British Library in introducing its pre-1851 Hungarica holdings. The collection was founded by Thomas Watts in the early nineteenth century and further enriched by acquisition of collections such as those of István Nagy in 1870 and of László Imre Waltherr in 1873. The catalogue was compiled with the cooperation of bibliographers at the Széchényi National Library (Országos Széchényi Könyvtár) in Budapest. Entries include around 4,400 titles lost during the Second World War. Due to time spans followed for retrospective Hungarian bibliography in general, it would have been sensible and desirable to extend the coverage to the year 1860.

2. The Old Series of Régi magyar könyvtár (RMK) with its predecessors and successors.

As early as 1711 David Czvittinger made a first attempt at retrospective Hungarian bio- bibliography. It was to be another 160 years before another attempt was made on a scholarly basis.

2.1. Index coverage for 1473-1711:

Régi magyar könyvtár: Könyvészeti kézikönyv [Old Hungarian Library: Bibliographic Handbook]. Károly Szabó and Árpád Hellebrant. Budapest. Vols. 1-2 by Károly Szabó.

RMK I. Vol. 1. Az 1531-1711-ig megjelent magyar nyomtatványok. [Hungarian Imprints from 1531 to 1711]. 1879. xiv, 751 p.

RMK II. Vol. 2. Az 1473-1711-ig megjelent nem magyar nyelvü hazai nyomtatványok [Foreign-language Books Printed in Hungary from 1473 to 1711]. 1885. xi, 754 p.

RMK III. Vol. 3. A magyar szerzöktöl 1473-1711-ig megjelent nem magyar nyelvü nyomtatványok [Ethnically Hungarian Works Printed Abroad].

Pt. 1. 1480-1670. 1896. viii, 800 p.

Pt. 2. 1671-1711. 1898. 943 p.

A former officer in the Hungarian wars of liberation (1848/49) and later professor at Klausenburg, Károly Szabó, is generally regarded as the actual founder of retrospective Hungarian national bibliography. Setting out to prepare a bibliographic reference work on Hungarian literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, he was responsible for three volumes, two of which appeared during his lifetime (hereafter referred to as RMK I, RMK II, and RMK III). The first printed book in Hungarian appeared in Crakow in 1531, so volume one covers linguistically Hungarian books in the period from 1531 until Czvittinger's work of 1711. Volume two indexes foreign-language but geographically Hungarian books from 1473 until 1711. In 1885, Szabó was commissioned by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to prepare a third volume listing ethnically Hungarian works printed abroad. This was completed after his death by Árpád Hellebrant. Further supplements to the RMK were published in journals and independently, together completing a valuable reference work-one that is very rare in German libraries (not to mention those in North America).

2.2. Index coverage for 1712-1860:

Magyarország bibliográphiája 1712-1860: könyvészeti kimutatása a Magyarországon s hazánkra vonatkozólag külföldön megjelent nyomtatványoknak = Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860: seu Catalogus librorum in Hungaria, et de rebus patriam nostram attingentibus extra Hungariam editorum [Hungarian Bibliography 1712-1860: Catalog of Books Published in Hungary and Published Outside of Hungary Pertaining to Hungary]. Géza Petrik. Budapest, 1882-1892. 4 vols.

Chronological coverage for the period following Szabó-Hellebrant's RMK appeared at around the same time, compiled by Géza Petrik. The three original volumes contain entries of geographically and linguistically Hungarian works along with foreign titles where Hungary is the main subject matter. Volume four contains an alphabetical index.

2.3. Index coverage for 1861-1920:

Magyar könyvészet [Hungarian Bibliography]. Budapest.

1860-1875. Géza Petrik. 1885. cxlvii, 467 p.

1876-1885. Függ. A. m. hírlapok és folyóiratok 1876-1885 [With a supplement: Hungarian Newspapers and Periodicals, 1876-1885]. Sándor Kiszlingstein. 1890. cxliii, 556 p.

1886-1900. Géza Petrik. 1908-1913. 2 vols.

1901-1910. Géza Petrik and Imre Barcza. 1917-1928. 2 vols.

1911-1920. Sándor Kozocsa. 1939-1942. 2 vols.

A number of separate multi-year bibliographies exist for this time period by Petrik and other bibliographers, which together form a continuous series.

2.4. Index coverage for 1921-1944:

Magyar könyvészet 1921-1944: a Magyarországon nyomtatott könyvek szakosított jegyzéke = Bibliographia Hungarica [Subject Guide to Books Printed in Hungary]. Ed. Komjáthy Miklósné. Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár. ISBN 963-200-200-8

Vol. 1. Általános müvek, filozófia, vallás [General Works, Philosophy, Religion]. 1983.

Vol 2. Társadalomtudományok, 1. Társadalom, politika, közgazdaságtan [Sociology, Pt. 1. Society, Politics, Economy]. 1984.

Vol. 3. Társadalomtudományok, 2. Jog, közigazgatás, népjólét, pedagógia, néprajz [Sociology, Pt. 2. Law, Administration, Public Welfare, Pedagogy, Anthropology]. 1985.

Vol. 4. Természettudományok, orvostudomány, technika, mezögazdaság [Sciences, Medicine, Technology, Agriculture]. 1992.

Vol 5. Müvészet, sport, földrajz, életrajz, történelem [Art, Sports, Geography, Biography, History]. 1989.

Vol. 6. Nyelvészet, irodalom [Linguistics, Literature]. 1980.

Vol. 7. Magyar irodalom [Hungarian Literature]. 1980.

The bibliographic gap from 1921-1944 was only recently filled with subject-specific indexes. The announced cumulative index, volume eight, has not yet appeared.

2.5. Index coverage for 1945 to the present:

Magyar nemzeti bibliográfia = Bibliographia Hungarica. Budapest: OSZK, 1946-

The Hungarian national bibliography appeared after the Second World War annually from 1946 until 1960, indexing books, musical scores and maps. Since 1961 the titles have been cumulated into annual or biannual volumes under the title: Magyar könyvészet ... : a magyarországi könyvek, zenemüvek és térképek címjegyzéke [Hungarian Bibliography: Catalog of Books, Scores and Maps Published in Hungary]. Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Bibliográfiai Osztálya. 1961/62 (1963)-

A multi-year cumulation for 1945-1960, supplementing the titles that failed to appear for 1945, appeared in five volumes:

Magyar könyvészet 1945-1960: a magyarországon nyomtatott könyvek szakositott jegyzéke = Bibliographia Hungarica [Hungarian Bibliography]. Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, 1964-1968. 5 vols.

3. The New Series of RMK

Beginning with publication of the national bibliography, new bibliographic standards were in place. The idea of revising the retrospective volumes of Szabó-Hellebrant and of Petrik also began to take shape. Plans laid in 1954 foresaw the inclusion of all geographically and ethnically Hungarian books regardless of language. The Széchényi National Library (Országos Széchényi Könyvtár) in Budapest took charge of revamping RMK I-III.

3.1. The first two volumes under the new title appeared in 1971 and 1983:

97-1/2-056

Régi magyarországi nyomtatványok = Res litteraria Hungariae vetus operum impressorum [Old Hungarian Imprints]. Ed. Magyar Tudományos Akadémia; Országos Széchényi Könyvtár. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.

Vol. 1. 1473-1600. 1971. 928 p. ill.

Vol. 2. 1601-1635. 1983. 855 p. ill. ISBN 963-05-2723-5

The revised title (hereafter referred to as RMNY) reflects the new emphases. Due to the concept of "geographically Hungarian" titles juxtaposed against the Turkish occupation from 1526 to 1683, the titles to be included varied from the original RMK somewhat.

Hence, both volumes carry a "negative bibliography," i.e., a list of titles considered to be foreign to Hungarian borders or of printings that never reached the point of publication. A cross-referenced index of printing venues proves valuable to the linguistically untrained, e.g., when neither "Vienna" nor "Wien" appears since its Hungarian equivalent is "Bécs." User tips are given in Hungarian, Latin, and English. A third volume, covering the period 1601-1635, is expected in one to two years.

3.1.5. A Transylvanian Spin-Off

97-1/2-057

Alte siebenbürgische Drucke: (16. Jahrhundert) [Old Imprints From Transylvania]. Ed. Gedeon Borsa for the Forschungsgruppe für Buchgeschichte der Ungarischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Comp. Ferenc Hervay. Translator of this ed. Gudrun Schuster. Köln [et al.]: Böhlau, 1996. xvii, 449 p. 22 cm. (Schriften zur Landeskunde Siebenbürgens, 21). Excerpt from: Régi magyarországi nyomtatványok 1473-1600. ISBN 3-412-02796-0: DM 94.00

The first product of the RMNY undertaking has been a treasure trove for historical Transylvanian titles. This index of sixteenth-century books from the age of Humanism and Reformation, with the cooperation of the Transylvanian Saxon Library in Gundelsheim, extracted relevant titles from RMNY and published them with magnificent German translations of titles and descriptions. A similar extract of Transylvanica from volume two of RMNY is to follow.

3.2 A Revision of RMK III

Régi magyar könyvtár [Old Hungarian Library]. Ed. Szabó Károly. Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár.

Vol. 3. (Supplement). Pótlások, kiegészítések, javítások. Készült az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Régi Magyarországi Nyomtatványok Szerkesztöségében. [Catalog of Works of Hungarian Authors Published in Other Countries and Other Languages from 1480 to 1711].

Vols. 1-4 Addenda and Corrigenda.

Vol. 5. Indexes and Supplements to vol. 1-4]. Ed. Sándor Dörnyei and Irma Szalka, coordinated by Gedeon Borsa. Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár

Vol. 1. 1990. xxviii, p. 1-320.

Vol. 2. 1991. xv, p. 321-640.

Vol. 3. 1992. xvi, p. 641-960.

Vol. 4. 1993. xxv, p. 961-1388.

Vol. 5. Mutató, Függelék [Index, Supplement]. 1996. xxxix, 282 p.

The revision of RMK III, reserved for ethnically Hungarian authors abroad, includes additions, corrections and supplements brought about by conforming to the new definition of "Hungarica" as well as by newly discovered data. Volume five presents a totally new index that includes, among other things, references to international holdings.

4. Revision of Petrik for the period 1712-1860

4.1 Petrik reprint

Magyarország bibliográphiája 1712-1860: könyvészeti kimutatása a Magyarországon s hazánkra vonatkozólag külföldön megjelent nyomtatványoknak = Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860: seu Catalogus librorum in Hungaria, et de rebus patriam nostram attingentibus extra Hungariam editorum [Hungarian Bibliography 1712-1860: Catalog of Books Published in Hungary and Published Outside of Hungary Pertaining to Hungary]. Ed. Géza Petrik. Reprint of the 1882-1892 ed. Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, 1968. 4 vols. 23 cm. ISBN 963-200-284-9

Petrik's four volumes have long been out of print but have valuable bibliographic information to offer. Thus a reprint was published in 1968. At the same time, it became apparent that the new concepts of bibliography and of Hungarica called for a revision. In addition, a number of books forcibly taken from religious orders and noble families and declared "communal property" in the 1950s produced such a great number of titles missing in Petrik's bibliography that the wish for revision became a necessity.

4.2 Supplement to Petrik Reprint for 1712-1860

Magyarország bibliográfiája 1712-1860 = Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860 [Hungarian Bibliography]. Budapest. 23 cm.

Vol. 5. Pótlások Petrik Géza Magyarország bibliográfiája 1712-1860 c. müvének 1-4. kötetéhez. Az 1712-1800 között megjelent magyarországi (és külföldön magyar nyelvü) nyomtatványok közreadja az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár = Additamenta ad tomos 1-4. operis Géza Petrik Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860. Catalogus librorum annis 1712-1800 in Hungaria (alibique lingua Hungarica) editorum [Supplement to vols. 1-4 of Geza Petrik's Hungarian Bibliography 1712-1860. Catalog of Books Published in Hungary and in the Hungarian Language Abroad, 1712-1800]. Budapest, 1971. 561 p.

A fifth volume to the Petrik reprint was added in 1971, listing the titles that had been missing in the original. Other bibliographies were consulted and compiled, including relevant entries from the Czech and Rumanian national bibliographies.

4.3 Printer and Publisher Index to Petrik Reprint:

Magyarország bibliográfiája 1712-1860 = Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860 [Hungarian Bibliography]. Budapest. 23 cm.

Vol. 6. Nyomda- és kiadástörténeti mutató az 1-5. kötetben közreadott magyarországi (éskülföldi magyar nyelvü) 1712-1800 között megjelent nyomtatványokhoz= Index typographicus librorum annis 1712-1800 in Hungaria (alibique lingua Hungarica) editorum ad tomos 1-5 [Printer and Publisher Index to Vols. 1-5 of the Catalog of Books Published in Hungary and in the Hungarian Language Abroad, 1712-1800]. Budapest, 1972. 567 S.

A supplemental index volume appeared in 1972, indexing almost 20,000 linguistically Hungarian books according to their place of printing and/or publication in the Hungarian alphabet. This is particularly important from the standpoint of printing and publishing history, since it provides chronologies and durations of Hungarian printing and publishing companies and indexes other printing history sources for the period 1712-1860.

4.4. Further Supplements for 1701-1800:

Magyarország bibliográfiája 1712-1860 = Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860. Budapest. 23 cm.

Vol. 7. Pótlások Petrik Géza Magyarország bibliográfiája 1712-1860 c. müvéhez. 1701-1800 között megjelent magyarországi (és külföldi magyar nyelvü) nyomtatványok = Additamenta ad opus Géza Petrik Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860. Catalogus librorum annis 1700-1800 in Hungaria (alibique lingua Hungarica) editorum. [Supplement to Geza Petrik's Hungarian Bibliography 1712-1860. Catalog of Books Published in Hungary and in the Hungarian Language Abroad, 1712-1800]. Budapest, 1989. 570 p. ISBN 963-200-269-5

Completed in 1988, volume seven of the above-listed series concentrated on bibliographic control of the eighteenth century, to which a number of international libraries contributed their holdings information. Entries were limited to books for which an actual, physical bibliographic description could be obtained. A number of the titles turned out to be occasional pamphlets, chapbooks of poetry, folk literature, and pedagogical and religious printings.

4.5. Expansion of the Indexing to Pamphlets of the Eighteenth Century:

Magyarország bibliográfiája 1712-1860 = Bibliographia Hungariae 1712-1860. Budapest. 23 cm.

Vol. 8. Függelék: Hazai 18. századi színlapok, gyászjelentések és szentképek bibliografiája; Nyomda- és kiadástörténeti mutató az 1701-1800 között megjelent magyarországi (és külföldi magyar nyelvü) nyomtatásokhoz ; (a 6. kötet kiegészítése); = Appendix: Bibliographia tabellarum spectaculorum, litterum obituariarum et icones sanctorum, in saeculo 18. in Hungaria (alibique lingua Hungarica) impressarum; Index typographicus librorum annis 1701-1800 in Hungaria (alibique lingua Hungarica) editorum (additamenta ad tomum 6) [Supplement: Bibliography of Local Playbills, Obituaries, and Icons Printed in Hungary in the 18th Century and in the Hungarian Language Abroad; Printer and Publisher Index to Books Published in Hungary and In the Hungarian Language Abroad, 1701-1800]. Comp. Gedeon Borsa. Ed. Judit Ecsedy. Budapest: 1991. 574 p. ISBN 963-200-85-7

The compilation of materials for volume seven, as indicated, led to the identification of various types of pamphlets. Volume eight reserved its indexing to three types of eighteenth-century geographically Hungarian pamphlets: theater flyers, death notices, and images of saints with accompanying texts. [khj/rdh]


Next Section
Previous Section
Table of Contents


Comments, suggestions, or questions
Last update: July 31, 2000 [RD]
© 2005 Casalini libri - VAT no. IT03106600483