The holdings of the Kórnik Library include a small printed book by Walenty Schreck published by the Königsbergian printing house of Johann Daubmann in 1559. At the beginning of the book, there is a hand-written dedication from the author to Duke Albrecht Frederick, a son of Albrecht of Prussia (von Hohenzollern), and a versed poetic work. Since the volume was a gift to a juvenile duke (and indirectly to his father), it was bound in a masterly manner: in covers with rich, almost entirely gilded ornamentation and with gilded edges. The paper offers an analysis of this book-binding work, taking similar objects from Polish collections and information from relevant literature as a point of reference. This allowed a thesis that the object is a representative creation of the leading 16th century Königsbergian book-binder Kaspar Angler, in which he used several of his characteristic decorating tools (such as a roll with fi gures of cupids and putti, a roll with a cortège of a king and bishop, and 3 medallion plaques with Biblical scenes). Taking into account its high artistry and almost untouched condition, the work seems to be one of the most impressive objects of the 16th century European bookbinding industry in the collection of the Kórnik library. Its high historical value also results from its provenance – it originates from the ducal library in Königsberg.

There are two Qur’an manuscripts in the collection of the Kórnik Library (Poland) – BK 1716 and BK 2676. The first one, dating from the 17th century, is rich in different types of scribal errors and serves as an interesting example of ways of amending them. The second one, dating from the 15th century, includes interesting illuminations and calligraphy. This paper is a detailed analysis of these manuscripts, including their covers, decorations and scribal errors.

The scope of the project carried out in the Kórnik Library in 2016-2019 included the set of incunabula kept in the facility. This paper sums up the works concerning this part of the book collection. The author presents new findings concerning the holdings, simultaneously indicating the need for further research on the oldest treasures of the European printing industry kept at the library established by Tytus Działyński.

This paper presents two rare 16th-century panel-stamped bindings from the collections of the Kórnik Library. The first one, decorated with an impression of a panel depicting the personification of the Christian virtue of Hope (Spes), protects the printed book published in 1545. The binding was made by a Netherlandish bookbinder working in Leuven, called Master IP, identified with Jacob Pandelaert (d. ab. 1563). The second binding presents a Gothic motif of animals-in-foliage and protects a printed book published in 1550. The authorship of the panel (the so-called de profundis) is attributed to a bookbinder working in the town of ’s-Hertogenbosch (fr. Bois-le-Duc), Geraert van der Hatart (d. ab. 1540/1541). Both these bindings testify to the fact that the holdings of the Kórnik Library include gems of the West-European bookbinding craft.

Th e article describes two Cyrillic Gospels from the Kórnik Library: BK 11985 and BK 896. It presents the cultural context of their creation, as well as their history, content, illuminations and a short lexical description. Both codices were the result of a cultural and spiritual revival in the Orthodox Church in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Both of them were luxury, professionally made goods; their copyists were experienced specialists. BK 896 represents a higher level of artistry. In view of their lexical characteristics, the manuscripts can be classifi ed as the third so-called Mount Athos-Tyrnovo linguistic redaction of the Gospel.

Th e holdings of the Kórnik Library include a small parchment manuscript produced in 1495/6 as a gift from an assessor in the Carinthian bishopric of Gurk, Georg Unterburger, a doctor of both laws, for the newly elected archbishop of Salzburg, Leonhard von Keutschach. Th e codex is relatively richly ornamented – with gilding – and comprises three short works by the donator: Laudatory oration for the Inauguration of the Pontifi cate [Oratio demonstrativa], A Treaty on Sacraments [Traktat o sakramentach] with a short prologue, and a Poem [Carmen] in praise of the new archbishop. With his gift, Unterburger – as he openly announces – wanted to establish a client-patron relationship with the new archbishop. Th e paper briefl y presents both these fi gures against the background of the history of the Salzburg archdiocese analyses the Oration as an example of late-Medieval humanist rhetoric and, on the basis of the subsequent history of the manuscript, refl ects on whether Unterburger managed to achieve his goal. Th e paper is accompanied by the annotated edition of Oration, prologue of the Treaty and the Poem.

Wojciech Biberstein-Kazimirski is a fascinating, non-typical scientist, who has nevertheless been forgotten by Polish historiography. Count Tytus Działyński immediately saw great potential in him and generously funded his studies. The trust of the Działyński family was passed on from father to son and Jan Działyński also supported the work of Kazimirski, who was certainly the greatest Polish orientalist. Kazimirski was an active patriot of the Polish insurrection. He took refuge in France where he made a respectable career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the 19th century. He was awarded French citizenship and made an officer of la Légion d’honneur. He distinguished himself as a remarkable linguist and published works in a dozen languages, including the most famous French translation of the Qu’ran of all time and his French-Arabic dictionary, which are still considered among the best today. He was also an expert in oriental manuscripts. He was appreciated by the two Czartoryski princes, and the two Shahs of Iran of his time. Aft er his death, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs erected a beautiful bust on his tomb that can still be admired. However, despite all this, there is not a single accurate biography about him. On the contrary, most notices and articles do not even get the most basic things right about him, such as his name, his origin, or his religion.

In 2019, a 15th-century print entitled The Tower of Wisdom kept by the Kórnik Library in Poland was subjected to scientific examination. The main purpose of the examination of the hand-coloured image was the identification of the technique of the application of the text and the illustrations. The conducted examination proved a thesis that it is an example of xylographic print. Moreover, the elemental composition of the paint layer was analysed, revealing no colours which were not used in the period of the object’s origin.

The paper presents the figure of the archivist Janina Kozłowska-Studnicka. In 1914–1920, she was connected with the archives in Vilnius. Subsequently, in 1921, she was appointed the manager of the archives in Grodno – a function she very successfully fulfilled until the outbreak of the Second World War. At the beginning of the occupation, Janina Kozłowska-Studnicka was relocated deep into the USSR and returned to Poland in 1946. She connected the last period of her life with the Kórnik Library, devoting herself to the ordering and cataloguing of its collection of manuscripts.