Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Family library
(754 words)

Of the extant family libraries, those of the nobility that survive across Europe offer an inexhaustible treasure trove for historians of culture and cultivation. This is particularly true of the great book collections, which besides utilitarian legal literature and many scholarly and scientific works from the fields of geography, history, medicine, and theology, also contain apodemica and literary works, such as Ariosto's Orlando furioso (1521) and manuscripts.

Noble libraries differ greatly in size and scope, ranging from a few dozen works to tens of …

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Gersmann, Gudrun, “Family library”, 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_SIM_019121>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180126



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