European fund
Fund of printed books in European languages
The fund of printed books in European languages currently contains over 42.000 printed monographic publications written in Bosnian and other European languages.
This fund is of a newer date in relation to manuscripts and archives held in the Library. It was created at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century when, upon arrival of Austro-Hungarians to Bosnia and Herzegovina, local Muslim population began to get wider education and to write in domestic language in Latin lettering. With time, this fund has intensively been filled in and developed to soon exceed other funds of the Library.
The basic part of this fund is composed of the works by Bosnian and Herzegovinian authors with books written on Bosniaks and on Bosnia and Herzegovina. As for the topics, the fund contains works on general and national history, orientalism, Islamism, philosophy, art, and other similar fields. It is significant to mention a rich belletristic collection with a reference compilation containing various dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, lexicons, statistical handbooks etc. Diploma and master theses, as well as doctoral dissertations, are also included in the fund. In addition to the mentioned fields, the collection also holds a number of expert books on mathematics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, biology, since they were part of donated collections. In a wider sense, this fund keeps all valuable and important works of domestic and world heritage written in European languages although the core of the fund is composed of works related to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
From the first Muslim book written in Latin lettering in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Risalei ahlak – Lesson on Good and Bad Manners – arranged by Mehmed-beg Kapetanović Ljubušak and printed in 1883 in Sarajevo, until today, most any published book whose authors are Bosniaks, are kept in the Library. The beginning of writings of Bosnian Muslim authors in local language dates as back as end of 16th century which is the time of occurrence of literature in Bosnian language written in Arabic lettering or in Arebica, so called Alhamiado literature. The collection of Alhamiado literature is very important part of the European fund of Gazi Husrev-bey Library. This collection is counted as rarity. It mainly includes works of religious and didactical contents while belletristic works are present to a lesser extent. Another important component of the fund consists of the first Bosnian books printed in Latin lettering, books on Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austro-Hungarian period, early editions of Bosnian and Herzegovinian writers from the time of ex-Yugoslavia, wartime editions from the period 1992-1995, etc.
During the Austro-Hungarian period, many books by Bosnian and Herzegovinian authors were printed, especially books on Bosnia and Herzegovina and its peoples. The Library possesses almost all works from this period whose authors are Bosnian and Herzegovinian Muslims. Among notable examples from period of the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century, included are the books by Mehmed-beg Kapetanović Ljubušak, Kosta Hoermann, Edhem Mulabdić, Antun Hangi, Safvet-beg Bašagić, Musa Ćazim Ćatić and others. From later periods, it is important to mention early works by Osman Nuri Hadžić, Ivan Milišević, Vladislav Skarić, A. Hifzi Bjelevac, Hamdija Kreševljaković, Hamza Humo, Ahmed Muradbegović, Alija Nametak, Hamid Dizdar and others.
The Library holds majority of works printed in the wartime period of 1992-1995. Books by contemporary Bosnian and Herzegovinian authors are procured regularly.
Particular contribution to the fund was made by individual Bosniak intellectuals or their descendants who endowed their private libraries to Gazi Husrev-bey Library.
The three most significant private libraries in Gazi Husrev-bey Library whose common line is their completeness in view of works by Bosnian and Herzegovinian authors and books on Bosnia and Herzegovina are the following:
Library of Osman Asif Sokolvić
Osman Arif Sokolović (1882-1972), a social and cultural worker born in Sarajevo, collected his books for decades. He published over 50 works among which are translations from Turkish and French languages. Part of his library containing books in European languages counts over 7.000 library units. This collection is a real treasure in terms of the value of printed materials. Alhamiado literature takes an important place in this collection. There are also valuable printed books in European languages whose originals can rarely be found in other places. Although the collection is versatile in its contents, the prevailing fact of utmost importance is that those are books by Muslim writers of Bosnia and Herzegovina; works on history of Bosnia and Herzegovina; works of Islamic contents in general.
Library of Muhamed Hadžijahić
The library of Muhamed Hadžijahić (1918-1986), an advisor of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, includes around 4.000 books written in European languages. It is a valuable collection mainly connected with our national history and culture. It contains a great number of rare copies that can hardly be found in other libraries of Bosnian and Herzegovina or of the Region. This edition represents an original source for studying of our cultural and political history. A part of it is literature of documentary character: various reports, rules, regulations, rulebooks. It is important to mention statistical manuals on the censuses of 1880, 1885, 1910, stenographic notes from the Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, National Parliament of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, various encyclopedias, and other reference materials. In addition to the works by M. Hadžijahić himself, the collection includes valuable historical works by Ć. Truhelka, V. Skarić, V. Ćorović, K. Jireček, H. Kreševljaković, M. Vego and others. The ethnological collection is composed of old issues of books covering national creativity. A large number of these books are written in foreign languages and printed outside Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Library of Sinanudin Sokolović
Sinanudin Sokolović, (1911-1973), professor at Gazi Husrev-bey Madrasah, left behind a rich and valuable library which was donated to Gazi Husrev-bey Library by his descendants in 2002. Part of this library contains a collection of books in European languages with around 1.500 books. The library is particularly rich in Islamic literature and subjects on Islam and Muslims in general. It also holds old and valuable Islamic books such as a translation of Qur’an of 1895 and Medželle i Ahkjami šerije of 1906.
Nowadays, Gazi Husrev-bey Library procures all books of its interest. Procurement of European fund books is made by purchase, exchanges and donations. Most books are donated.
All books of this fund are inventoried into the Inventory Book and placed in racks according to format signatures so that publications of the same title have the same signatures and marks for possible doublets. Catalog processing is done in accordance with international standards for bibliographical description (ISBDM). Books can be searched in the Library by using various terms (author, title, key word, subject, year of issue etc.). Exceptionally valuable and important books are available electronically.