The Museum of Literature has been enriched with the last fragment of the collection of Aleksander Semkowicz, consisting of 168 volumes including: 145 books, 21 periodicals, 1 typescript reproduced under the principles of first printing and the memorial book of the “House under the Book”.

This is the last fragment of the legacy of Aleksander Semkowicz, the first director of the Museum of Literature.

The book collection currently in the Museum’s holdings was purchased in 1956 after the death of Aleksander Semkowicz from the wife of this eminent Polish bibliographer and master of the art of bookbinding. It laid the foundations for the creation of the museum library and initiated the collection of Mickiewicz opera in it, constituting a true pearl in the collection of Mickiewicz prints, a set treated equally with works of art.

It contains the largest number of first editions, secret editions of the poet’s works, rare editions, translations of Mickiewicz into foreign languages, collections of notes to the poet’s words, literature on the poet together with a large collection of clippings from Polish and foreign periodicals, émigré journals, numerous album editions and memorial books. The unique and unrepeatable nature of the contents of the collection should be emphasised, both those already in the collection and those currently acquired, being the last fragment of the group of books collected in the 1920s and 1930s by Aleksander Semkowicz in Lwów (Lviv) in the villa known as the “House under the Book”.

The purchased objects include some of the greatest works of bookbinding art by Aleksander Semkowicz. Particularly noteworthy is the 88-item collection of bindings by Semkowicz, demonstrating the extraordinary craftsmanship of this outstanding artist, who made bindings of the highest quality leather, with gilding and silver embossing.

The just-acquired collection also includes unique items presented at the exhibition “The Lwów Polish Book”, held on the occasion of the First Convention of Librarians and the Third Convention of Polish Bibliophiles in Lvov in 1928.

Adrian Andrzejewski