Polish Collection (Signet Library)

Name

Polish Collection (Signet Library)

Description

n the 1820s the Signet Library in Edinburgh was given a collection of 143 books on Polish history and literature dating from the 16th to the early 19th century. It was donated by the Polish exiles Count Konstanty Zamoyski (1799-1866) and Count Sobanski who had been allowed to use the library when living in the city. Zamoyski presented 93 volumes in 1821 and Sobanski a further 50 two years later.

Zamoyski's original donation came on condition that the collection was shelved and displayed as a single collection, and labelled to commemorate Poland and the donor. However, the collection was probably dispersed among the collections of the Signet Library by the then librarian, David Laing, before being brought together again by his successor as Librarian, Thomas Graves Law. In 1941, the President of the Polish Republic, Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz, inspected the collection along with members of his government in exile.

Organisation

The books have been catalogued individually and have the shelfmark 'Pol.S.'.

Acquisition

The collection was presented to the Library by the Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet in 1962.

References

'Poland. An exhibition of mainly printed books' [exhibition catalogue], AM Graham (ed.), Edinburgh, 1965.

Shelfmark

Pol.S.

Subjects

Polish literature