Annotation
The lecture will introduce general cultural background of aristocracy and bourgeoisie in baroque Europe and formal as well as effectual position of libraries in the system of education, professional activity as well as representantion. Common signs of both the libraries of aristocracy and of bourgeoisie as well as their individual differences will be emphasized.
Special attention will be payed to importance of the representation aspect of the aristocratic family libraries and realization of the renaissance concept of bibliotheca universalis. The bourgeois libraries will be presented with special respect to their exploitation in the owner's profession.
Ways of acquisition, possessor's records and marks and their importance as a research source for the history of libraries will be discussed with respect to both the aristocratic and bourgeois libraries. As an appendix to the lecture the baroque passion for collections and collecting (Sammellust) and the phenomena of cabinet of curiosities (cabinet de curiosités, Kunstkammer) will be described together with relations and bounds between the art collections and the libraries themselves.