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Important Items
in the
Gh. Asachi Public Library of Iasi Collections

Two very important works:

• Augustinus, Sermones de clericorum vita et moribus (1484) - a very rare incunabulum
• Reglement organique de la Principaute de Moldavie (Iasi 1834) - this work contains a fragment translated by Gheorghe Asachi

The following 16th century works are valuable and interesting because they contain much historical information about Romania.

• Bonifinius Antonius, Ungerishe chronica (Francfurt 1581) - contains approximately forty pages about Romanian history

• Campana Cesare, Compendio historico delle guerre ultimamente succese tra Christiane et Turchi (Vinegia 1597) - this work provides about 15 pages of information about Transylvanian history.

• Liber amicorum - a manuscript containing notes of some visitors of the humanist scholar Martin Weigmann. The manuscript is decorated with interesting and beautifully colored coats-of-arms.

The collection of 16th century books also illustrates printing history in some of the main cities of Europe, such as Venice, Basel, Colonia, Florence, Wittemberg, etc. Examples:

• Erasmus Rotterdamus. Hyperaspistes diatribae adversus servum arbitrum Martini Lutheri, Basiliae apud Jo. Frob. (1526) that describes the polemic between Erasmus and Luther. This book is printed by Johann Froben, one of the first printers of Latin works. On the first page, the title is drawn with nine angels by Hans Holbein.
• Appianus, Alexandrinus. De civilibus Romanorum bellis historiarum, Lugduni, 1551.
• Bidermanus, Iacobus. Heroum epistolae epigrammata et Herodius, Antverpiae, ex officina Plantiniana Balthasaris Moreti, 1534.

The 17th-18th century books include a large number of Latin writers and scholars: Cicero, Iuvenal, Persius, Vergilius, Tacitus, and others.

Among the 17th century works, we must mention the 1623 edition (First Folio) of William Shakespeare's Works. This was a great event for English publishing of that time. Without this edition edited by Isaac and William Jaggard, probably eighteen of Shakespeare's plays would be unknown to us today.

Among other works are:

• Fabretti, Raphael, De columna Traiani. Syntagma Rome, 1683.
• Gyllius, P. De Constantinopoleus topographia. Lugdunum Batavorum, 1632.
• Homer. L'Odysse. Paris, 1682 (luxury edition).

Important 19th century books include:

• Civil Code of Moldova. Iasi, 1833.
• St. John. Prayer book. Bucharest, 1827.

In addition to these rare foreign imprints, the "Gh. Asachi" Library houses among its collection many rare Romanian books that are very important for the study of Romanian printing and the development of Romanian culture.