| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: The libraries pertaining to the Unity of Brethren before the Battle of White Mountain have been subject to fairly extensive book history research, focusing on both the written sources and the surviving parts of the libraries. This study presents the possibilities of further research, using mainly provenance features in the search for the surviving volumes of the private book collections formerly owned by the Unity of Brethren. As the research in the Prague conurbation has revealed, these include collections owned by not only nobility but also burghers. The second research aim was to compare Brethren libraries in terms of their scope, content, mode of expansion, and usage. This study offers evidence that the research method has the greatest potential within the domain of the Unity of Brethren. On the other hand, the comparison of the Brethren libraries with those created by the majoriry society suggests that while the method can aid to elucidate private book collections, it has major limitations for investigating the institutional Brethren libraries. |
