The History of a Private Library in 18 Th Century Hungary
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VICTOR SEGESVARY The History of a Private Library in 18 th Century Hungary THE LIBRARY OF PÁL AND GEDEON RÁDAY Translated from Hungarian by Edith Enik Å Jókay, née Zoltáni Mikes International THE HAGUE, Holland 2005 VICTOR SEGESVARY : THE HISTORY OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY IN 18TH CENTURY HUNGARY – The Library of Pál and Gedeon Ráday Kiadó 'Stichting MIKES INTERNATIONAL ' alapítvány, Hága, Hollandia. Számlaszám: Postbank rek.nr. 7528240 Cégbejegyzés: Stichtingenregister: S 41158447 Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken Den Haag Terjesztés A könyv a következ ő Internet-címr ől tölthet ő le: http://www.federatio.org/mikes_bibl.html Aki az email-levelezési listánkon kíván szerepelni, a következ ő címen iratkozhat fel: [email protected] A kiadó nem rendelkezik anyagi forrásokkal. Többek áldozatos munkájából és adományaiból tartja fenn magát. Adományokat szívesen fogadunk. Cím A szerkeszt őség, illetve a kiadó elérhet ő a következ ő címeken: Email: [email protected] Levelezési cím: P.O. Box 10249, 2501 HE, Den Haag, Hollandia _____________________________________ Publisher Foundation 'Stichting MIKES INTERNATIONAL', established in The Hague, Holland. Account: Postbank rek.nr. 7528240 Registered: Stichtingenregister: S 41158447 Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken Den Haag Distribution The book can be downloaded from the following Internet-address: http://www.federatio.org/mikes_bibl.html If you wish to subscribe to the email mailing list, you can do it by sending an email to the following address: [email protected] The publisher has no financial sources. It is supported by many in the form of voluntary work and gifts. We kindly appreciate your gifts. Address The Editors and the Publisher can be contacted at the following addresses: Email: [email protected] Postal address: P.O. Box 10249, 2501 HE, Den Haag, Holland _____________________________________ ISSN 1570-0070 ISBN 90-8501-035-7 NUR 694 © Mikes International 2001-2005, Victor Segesvary 1968-2005, All Rights Reserved ______________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright Mikes International 2001-2005, Victor Segesvary 1968-2005 - II - VICTOR SEGESVARY : THE HISTORY OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY IN 18TH CENTURY HUNGARY – The Library of Pál and Gedeon Ráday PUBLISHER ’S PREFACE Today we publish the very first book written by Victor Segesvary which is, until today, one of the few systematic histories of a private library in Hungary that, in particular, played a considerable role in the nation’s cultural life. The present volume was first published in Budapest, in 1992, by the Ráday Collection (Ráday Gy űjtemény). This editio princeps was brought out at the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of Gedeon Ráday, one of the founders of the library. We publish electronically this volume with the permission of the Ráday Collection. Other works of Victor Segesvary published by Mikes International: ♣ DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS – An Introduction to Civilizational Analysis ♣ CIVILIZÁCIÓK DIALÓGUSA – Bevezetés a civilizációk tanulmányozásába (Hungarian version of ‘Dialogue of Civilizations’) ♣ INTER-CIVILIZATIONAL RELATIONS AND THE DESTINY OF THE WEST – Dialogue or Confrontation? ♣ EXISTENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE – An Anti-Faustian Essay in Philosophical Anthropology ♣ WORLD STATE, NATION STATES, OR NON-CENTRALIZED INSTITUTIONS – A Vision of the Future in Politics ♣ FROM ILLUSION TO DELUSION – Globalization and the Contradictions of Late Modernity ♣ HISTORY OF THE FEDERATIVE IDEA FOR CENTRAL-EASTERN-EUROPE FROM THE LATE 18 TH CENTURY UNTIL 1945 (in Hungarian) ♣ L'ISLAM ET LA REFORME – Etude sur l'attitude des réformateurs zurichois envers l'Islam, 1510-1550 ( ISLAM AND REFORMATION – A Study Concerning the Zurich Reformers' Attitude towards Islam, 1510-1550) ♣ AZ ISZLÁM ÉS A REFORMÁCIÓ – Tanulmány a zürichi reformátorok Iszlámmal szembeni magatartásáról, 1510-1550 (Hungarian version of ‘L’Islam et la Réforme’) ♣ LE RÉALISME KHROUCHTCHÉVIEN – La politique soviétique à l’égard du nationalisme arabe, 1953-1960. The Hague (Holland), July 20, 2005 MIKES INTERNATIONAL ______________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright Mikes International 2001-2005, Victor Segesvary 1968-2005 - III - VICTOR SEGESVARY : THE HISTORY OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY IN 18TH CENTURY HUNGARY – The Library of Pál and Gedeon Ráday IN MEMORIAM LÁSZLÓ PAP AND KÁLMÁN BENDA ______________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright Mikes International 2001-2005, Victor Segesvary 1968-2005 - IV - VICTOR SEGESVARY : THE HISTORY OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY IN 18TH CENTURY HUNGARY – The Library of Pál and Gedeon Ráday VICTOR SEGESVARY ______________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright Mikes International 2001-2005, Victor Segesvary 1968-2005 - V - VICTOR SEGESVARY : THE HISTORY OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY IN 18TH CENTURY HUNGARY – The Library of Pál and Gedeon Ráday TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher’s Preface..................................................................................................................... III List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................VIII Explanation of Currencies Used in the 18. Century...................................................................... X Foreword......................................................................................................................................XI INTRODUCTION Collecting Books in 18th Century Hungary ................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE The Rádays..................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Pál Ráday ................................................................................................................................................ 10 2. Gedeon Ráday......................................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO The Library in the Age of Pál Ráday............................................................................................ 18 1. The areas of collection and the agents .................................................................................................. 18 2. Growth of the collection......................................................................................................................... 19 a) Acquisitions .......................................................................................................................................................... 19 b) Gifts to the Collection........................................................................................................................................... 25 3. The Cataloguing System of Pál Ráday ................................................................................................. 26 4. Analysis of the holdings.......................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER THREE The Library in the Age of Gedeon Ráday: Part One .................................................................... 30 1. The Areas of Collection.......................................................................................................................... 30 2. Growth of the Library ===s Holdings: Acquisitions in Transylvania and Hungary.............................. 31 a) Transylvania......................................................................................................................................................... 31 b) Pozsony................................................................................................................................................................. 37 c) Pest and other Parts of Hungary .......................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER FOUR The Library in the Age of Gedeon Ráday: Part Two.................................................................... 51 Growth of the Library ===s Holdings: Acquisitions in Vienna.................................................................... 51 a) Agents................................................................................................................................................................... 51 b) Auctions................................................................................................................................................................ 55 c) Merchants ............................................................................................................................................................. 66 d) Forwarding and Shipping..................................................................................................................................... 83 ______________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright Mikes International 2001-2005, Victor Segesvary 1968-2005 - VI - VICTOR SEGESVARY : THE HISTORY OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY IN 18TH CENTURY HUNGARY – The Library of Pál and Gedeon Ráday CHAPTER FIVE The Library in the Age of Gedeon Ráday: Part Three ................................................................. 86 Growth of the Library ===s Holdings: