The 16th-century collection of the Library of HAS

Abstract

The collections of the Library of HAS have been established at different times and in a variety of ways. One of the most exciting centuries of European and particularly Hungarian history left a very special and considerably differing imprint on the secollections. Most of the materials in the Collection of Early Books had been donated by three major patrons: József Teleki, György Ráth and Ferenc Vigyázó. The latter two collected obsessively the Hungary-related prints still to be found in Europe at the turn of the 19th and20th centuries. In addition to the wealth of Hungarica materials (from the point of language, territory or persons), a unique value of the collection is represented by the pamphlet collection dealing with Hungary. The pamphlets originate mainly from German-speaking countries, and these materials constitute a rich resource of Hungarian history, their importance equals that of the Apponyi Collection in the National Széchényi Library.