history -- projects VISK -- collection
During the more than fifty years of operation of the PNP, several political upheavals occurred that left their mark by broadening (or, by contrast, narrowing) the topical and chronological focus and scope of the institution's work. In line with the new foundation charter of the PNP (which is in force since 2001), no new acquisitions are made by the historical depositories of the library.
Subcollection 19 - correspondence and prints (manuscripts, old prints, rare prints, and broadsheets).
The oldest manuscripts date from the 14th century, the oldest prints from the period from 1470 to 1500, but the dominant category is that of prints from the 18th century. An important part of the collection is the corpus of books from the era of national awakening (1770 - 1830).
Manuscripts
An assemblage of more than 900 manuscripts, typeprints, and facsimiles, as well as several first prints, which have been exported into a separate depository. The predominant material is religious literature (prayers), but plays, copies of textbooks, handwritten source texts for collections of poetry of the 19th and 20th century, heraldic material etc. are also represented.
Old prints and rare prints
A collection of prints from the beginning of the 16th century up to the year 1800 (reaching into the 19th century in the case of magazines) that contains more than 6000 volumes of religious literature, history, philosophy, geography, law, but also language, literature, and natural science textbooks and manuals; fiction (mostly in foreign languages), contemporaneous magazines and newspapers, several works on architecture, and medical literature.
Broadsheets
More than 1500 minor broadsheet prints with prayers, pious songs, educational tales for the young, and couplets from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century.
Subcollection 18 - Books (modern-era book collection)
The major task of subcollection 18 (which counts 500 000 volumes) in terms of acquisition is to gather in one place the output of Czech publishing from the end of the 18th century to present days. The subcollection and the depositories of modern-era publishing primarily contain Czech fiction, foreign Bohemica, major translations of world literature, specialist literature from literary history, literary theory, handbooks, and literary and cultural periodicals. The Czech book, in particular its character in terms of illustration, graphic design, and typography, is presented on exhibitions at home and abroad. The core of the subcollection are - aside from the standard contemporary output of books - bibliophile and personalized copies that contain notes, autographs, or dedications.
