Holdings
The Oriental manuscripts at Herzog August Bibliothek do not form a cohesive group, but are scattered within the
historically evolved collections,as the different classmark groups (Augusteer, Gudische, Blankenburger,
Extravagantes and Novissimi) indicate. A systematic acquisition policy is not apparent; some items were probably
added to the collection as gifts. The index of Oriental manuscripts compiled by Friedrich Adolf Ebert in 1831
comprises 142 objects, including Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Chinese, Persian and Syrian manuscripts.
Collection history
The Oriental manuscripts can be traced back to the collection of the library’s founder, Duke Julius, which
contained Hebrew manuscripts such as the Thora scroll of Magdeburg. Most other additions to the Oriental holdings
also originate from the collections of the Guelph dynasty residing in Wolfenbüttel and Blankenburg. The
collections of the dukes August (Codices Augustei) and Ludwig Rudolf (Codices Blankenburgenses) in particular
comprise a notable number of Oriental manuscripts. In addition, the collection of Marquard Gude (1635-1689),
purchased by the former librarian Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1710, also contains several Arabic manuscripts.
Catalogues
- Friedrich Adolf Ebert, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum orientalium Bibliothecae Ducalis Guelferbytanae, Leipzig
1831.
-
Otto von Heinemann,
Die
Augusteischen Handschriften 4
(Kataloge der Herzog-August-Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel. Die alte Reihe, Bd. 7), Frankfurt/M. 1966 (Reprint ofthe
1900 edition).
- Gustav Milchsack und Franz Köhler, Die Gudischen Handschriften (Katalog der Herzog-August-Bibliothek
Wolfenbüttel. Die alte Reihe, Bd. 9), Frankfurt/M. 1966 Reprint of the 1913 edition).
-
Hans Butzmann,
Die
Blankenburger Handschriften
(Kataloge der Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel: Neue Reihe; Bd. 11), Frankfurt/M. 1966.
-
Handschriftendatenbank der Herzog
August Bibliothek
- Renate Giermann, Die neueren Handschriften der Gruppe Novissimi, Frankfurt/M. 1992. [Descriptions by Elke
Niewöhner and Claus-Peter Haase]
-
[Franz Köhler]:
Die Handschriften der
Herzoglichen Bibliothek zu Wolfenbüttel. Abth. 4: Die Gudischen Handschriften: Die griechischen Handschriften
bearbeitet von Franz Köhler; Die lateinischen Handschriften bearbeitet von Gustav Milchsack
, Wolfenbüttel
1913.
- Wolf-Dieter Otte: Die neueren Handschriften der Gruppe Extravagantes, Bd. 1-3, Frankfurt/M. 1986-93
[Descriptions by Susan Skilliter and mainly Claus-Peter Haase].
