The Copernicus Library and book collecting in the ancient City of Toruń illustrated by examples from books belonging to the book collection of the Reverend Krzysztof Henryk Andrzej Geret

Abstract

The historical collection of the Copernicus Provincial Library constitutes a perfect source of research on various aspects of the history of the book, including book collecting, in the Toruń of yesteryear. One example may be the private library of Krzysztof Henryk Geret (1686-1757), who arrived in Toruń in 1713 and in 1723 became a senior clergyman of the Protestant Church there. Geret was a theologian-erudite and the owner of a library which was considered to be the biggest private book collection in Toruń in the Old Polish period. The collection was dispersed as a result of three auctions conducted in the years 1764, 1765 and 1768. The books from the collection, recognizable thanks to bookplates or the owner’s signature, can be found in many Polish and foreign libraries. Yet, most of the books – 514 titles included in 163 volumes - belong to the collections of the Copernicus Library. It is a minor fragment of his collection, which cannot constitute a basis for the description of the content of Geret’s library. Nevertheless, it provides an insight into such elements of his book collecting activity as how he went about collecting his books, his attitude to his books, his reading habits and the fate of his collection after his death.