The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-12
Nv.

According to Savigny. there were, before the
Introduction Of the printing press. no university
libraries in Italy. The so-called stdtiondrii pro-
vided both teachers and students with manu-
script copies of such books as were prescribed
In the courses of study. In Paris, on the other
hand. a collection OF books for the use ofstudents
In theology was instituted as early as 1870, the
benefactor being an Archdeacon Of Canterbury.
The library Of the College of the Sorbonne was
started in 1880 for the benefit of instructors
and students. and the catalogue of its col
lection prepared in the following year,
which is still in existence, contains l,o17
titles. In 1345 Richard de Bury. Bishop
of Durham. who had been a friend of
Petrarch's. bequeathed a large number Of man
uscripts to Durham College In Oxford, which
had been founded by himself. This college was
discontinued by Henry VIII, and the books
were scattered, not even the catalogue having
been preserved. The earliest university library
In Germany was that Of the College Carollnum
in Prague. instituted by Charles ". The next
in date seems to have been that of Heidelberg.
where. as early as 1886. the Faculty OF Arts
had a library for itself. in addition to the gen.
eral collection belonging to the university. The
university library in Vienna dates from 1415,
and that In Erfurt from 1433. The
town library in Leipzig had for its origin
q collection possessed by the Augustinian
monks. which collection was thrown open to
the public in 1445. AS early as 1860 there was
in Hamburg a collection Of medical books. and.
In 14SO. a b~urgomastsr left a considerable leg
acy for the foundation of a city library. In
the library Of the Carmelite mon
astery was taken over in lat for the use Of the
city. In addition to the university and public
Libraries, collections were made by individuals,
for the most part princes and mobiles. Phillip,
Duke of Burgundy, had a great library. and an
inventory of the collection made by Anne Of
Brittany, the wife OF King Charles VIII. and
later OF Louis XII. gives the titles Of LAO
books.
In a chapter on the book trade In medieval
times, MIR. Putnam shows that, toward the
close OF the manuscript period, the labor OF the
scribes was by no means exclusively devoted to
works intended to be priced as examples of
caligraphy and illumination. From the shops
of the ordinary penmen were produced consid-
cradle quantities OF textbooks. books of wor-
ship, cookery books. astrological ~treatise.. al
nanacs, and even political tracts. Before the
middle of the fifteenth century there are rec
or1s of licensed scribes carrying on a general
business .or the public In Cologne, Frankfort,
Augsburg, Vienna, and even In smaller towns
such as Nordlingen. The scribes of the univer-
stiles. who were included among the university
officials, and who, in securing certain academical
privileges, subjected themselves also 10 q series
of restrictions. were not in a position to leave
their university towns to seek customers In
other centres OF population. For a long time
they were not permitted to do any work outside
of providing the required copies OF the author
lied text books. On the other hand. the scribes
who were not associated with any official body
were free 10 carry their work from place to place.
to supply the demand dependent upon the mar
kets, the fairs. and other special business
conditions. The shops of these town scribes
were, as a rule, In the open spaces. partlcu-
early In the market place. or in the neighborhood
of the Town Hall, or under the shadow OF the
or principal church. Where the bust
ness was not considerable enough to warrant a
shop, 1t was carried on under the steps or In tho
porchcs Of the church or the cathedral. 1t ap-
pears that, toward the middle of the sixteenth
century, when the work OF town scribeSin Ger
many was well under way. md the character OF
their commodities same TO be known to the
common pcnpir, the circulation OF books was
more extcrslr" ~ ~ ''tr' more widr-reaCl- /
Ing in respect Of ,'rr - aru nj the classes Of
buyers than Was H., ,n-r l. any other lart of
Europe