Marginal Inscriptions as Objects of Museum Studies: the Case Study of the Library of the National Museum of Ukrainian History

Abstract

The first attempt in the scientific practice of the National Museum Ukrainian History to conduct an individual and complex studying of marginal inscriptions has been done in this article. There is the case study of the Hand Press Books and antiquarian books from the library of the mentioned museum. The object of the study has been characterized and reasoning why the antiquarian books published in XIX century, but after 1830, have been chosen as the objects of this research, besides the classical objects of the study of marginal inscriptions (Hand Press Books and antiquarian books). Sources and historiography of the research as well as publications of the museum specialists have been systemized. The conclusion about the small attention of researchers to the library of the National Museum of Ukrainian History has been done too. The author of the article has substantiated one more conclusion about the absence of publications dedicated to the library as the source of information about the history of book printing in Ukraine or museum book collections = historical libraries beyond the museum. The generally accepted scientific criteria for the classification of marginal inscriptions have been generalized on the basis of historiography. Four additional criteria for studying marginal inscriptions have been proposed for the discussion. Challenges of the research have been analyzed in the main part of the article. There is the absence of attribution and fixation of the history of acceptance of the books in the museum library because of the specific status of all museum libraries in Ukraine; absence of a formal right to use such definitions of the Ukrainian legislation as the Rare and Valuable Books concerning the books published in XVIII – the early XIX centuries and some antiquarian books; problems of identifications of handwriting exactly as a marginal inscription, not a written bookplate (exlibris). Some samples to the mentioned challenges have been proposed. The author of the article has implemented the aim of the research and presented attribution of the marginal inscriptions in eleven Hand Press Books and three antiquarian books, including one handwritten antiquarian book – the object of this study. The content of the marginal inscriptions in Mykola Zakrevskyi‘s book “Depiction of Kyiv” (1868) – the most unique book from the point of view of the historical narrative as well as the invitation letter to Mykola Zakrevskyi (the object of the museum importance or so-called “Museum finding”) has been presented in this research. The maximum of available information about the content and classifications of the types of marginal inscriptions (handwritten, marginal glosses, and Marginal inscriptions of publishing houses) has been presented in the article too. Contribution in research and popularisation of the collection of the National Museum of Ukrainian History, studying of the history of a book as the object of the material and spiritual heritage, the personality of (less)known readers and reading cultures in different йpoques have been done based on the results of attribution, bibliographical description, and classification of the books, marginal inscriptions, and bookplates. Another essential result of the research is entering in the scientific circulation the Preliminary list of the Hand Press Books and antiquarian books with marginal inscriptions that have been chosen as the objects of this research. The stress on the urgent relevance of continuation of the complex studying of these books with the aim to give them the status of the Rare and Valuable Books through the entry in the State Register of the National Cultural Heritage has been done. The author has determined some perspectives of this research. They are a continuation of the complex studying of the marginal inscriptions, searching of new marginal inscriptions and fragments of historical libraries that nowadays are parts of the collection of the National Museum of Ukrainian History in other museums, archives, and libraries for contribution to the development of the museum communication and studying of Auxiliary Sciences of History. Keywords: bookplate, book research, in script, marginal inscription, National Museum of Ukrainian History.