The Transylvanian Saxons and their books in the Middle Ages

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This research underscores the significance of the Transylvanian Saxons as actors in the cultural history of Europe. The presence of books in southern Transylvania (together with various other expressions of writing) draws the complex picture of a literate society, in which gifted young men attended a well-organised network of elementary schools, continued their training abroad, then returned from European universities, and served their home communities through ecclesiastical or secular careers. This volume addresses less studied aspects of the culture of medieval Transylvania, such as the local decoration and illumination of manuscripts, charters, and printed books. It also aims to provide an update on the current state of research concerning the literate behaviour of the Saxon communities in medieval Transylvania, while suggesting future research directions. CONTENTS Introduction. The Cultural Heritage of the Hospites Theutonici … 7 Two Centuries of Literate Communication and Book Culture (1350-1550) … 21 Collecting Books in the Middle Ages – Collecting Medieval Books in Modern Times. Selective examples … 23 Beyond the Library. Documentary and Visual Sources for the Book History … 41 The University and the Parish: Sibiu and Cisnădie … 53 Book Decoration in a Changing World … 65 Historiographical Reassessments: The “Medieval Municipal Library of Sibiu” and Codex Altemberger … 83 Three Pecia Manuscripts at the Brukenthal Library, Sibiu … 107 Local Use and Production of Texts: A Selective Typology … 133 Mapping the Transylvanian Saxons’ Landscape of Literacy … 145 Concluding Thoughts. Previous Research, and Perspectives … 165 Bibliography … 169 Indices … 203