Readers, books, and book collectors in the city of Győr

(1770–1820)

Abstract

The study focuses on the history of books in Győr in the period 1770–1820. Books were of high value for clergymen, thus it was also necessary to survey them for ecclesiastic and administrative purposes. We can rarely find books in citizens’ estate inventories, they were only listed in a detailed, itemized way if the compiler was interested in the books, or if they were important for the testator. The study presents the books of persons of different professions: János Mittinger, a lawyer, bequeathed 106 volumes, mostly on legal topics, Ilona Nemes Nagy, widow of a wealthy citizen of Győr preserved 65 books in her cabinet, the estate inventory of Mihály Hollósy, prebend of Győr, included several hundred book titles, while 54 books were listed for György Keszy, merchant.
Even though the data concerning the books are occasionally incomplete, the examined sources characterize cultural life in the city and the county based on the number of books listed and their topics, and they describe the main trends in readers’ interest. They also indicate which works published in the Streibig press flourishing in these decades were the most popular ones among readers.