Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Autograph book
(1,320 words)

1. Terminology and development

An autograph book is a collection of autographs conceived as a remembrance of friends and benefactors; in it are gathered textual entries, often including illustrations and less often musical compositions, documenting personal relationships and designed for cultivation of future memories (Memory). The German term (Stammbuch) is derived from Stammenbuch (Latin liber gentilii); it recalls the tradition of the Geschlechterbuch (“genealogical…

Cite this page
Heß, Gilbert, “Autograph book”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_028148>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160321



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