The Rare Book & Special Collections Reading Room of the Library of Congress holds a modest number of rare books of Bosnian interest or origin.
A landmark work of interest to all of the South Slavic nations is the original 1601 printing of Il regno degli Slavi hoggi corrottamente detti schiauoni [Realm of the Slavs] by Mauro Orbini (1550-1611), a Benedictine monk from Dubrovnik (Ragusa). Although Orbini incorporated unsubstantiated legends and chronicles, his history of the Slavs, with a special focus on the South Slavs, also relied on many other sources including works by Orthodox and Protestant writers which were banned by the Vatican, resulting in his work being banned as well in 1603.
Also in the Library of Congress Rare Book collection is the 1722 Russian translation of Orbini's history Knīga Istorīograḟīi︠a︡ pochatīi︠a︡ imene, slavy, i razshīrenīi︠a︡ naroda slavi︠a︡nskogo [Book of historiography on the origins of the name, glory and expansion of the Slavic people], translated by Sava Vladislavić (1669-1738), a diplomat from Herzegovina and Dubrovnik who served on behalf of the Russian tsar Peter the Great. Il regno degli Slavi and its Russian translation were of enormous significance for the historiography of the South Slavs and the Pan-Slavic philosophy.
Two fascimiles important to the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina include Zbornik Hvala krstjanina [Hval's Codex], a 15th century manuscript for the Bosnian Bogomiles and a related transcription and commentary volume; plus a facsimile of the Sarajevo Haggadah, published in 1966 on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Jews to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The source of the image on this page is Srpske ilustrovane novine za zabavu, pouku, umetnosti i književost [Serbian illustrated newspaper for entertainment, education, art, and literature], a folio-sized weekly newspaper published in Serbia from 1881 through 1882 which has articles and pictures related to many locales in the Balkans including Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Received in 1904 as part of the library of Martin Hattala is the 1886 pamphlet Kaiser Konstantin auf der Sonnenburg: ein bosnisches Volksepos [Emperor Constantin at the Sonnenburg: a Bosnian folk epic], by the renowned Austrian-Croatian ethnographer and folklorist Friedrich S. Krauss (1859-1938). From the 21st century is an American artists' book The Blue Vein which was inspired by Vedran Smailović, the cellist of Sarajevo who played his instrument in the war-torn city in 1992. All materials held by the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room must be used onsite, unless there happens to be a digitized version on the Library of Congress website.
Il regno degli Slavi hoggi corrottamente detti schiauoni by Knīga Istorīograḟīi︠a︡ pochatīi︠a︡ imene, slavy, i razshīrenīi︠a︡ naroda slavi︠a︡nskogo. Sobrana izʺ mnogikhʺ knīgʺ īstorīcheskīkhʺ by Kaiser Konstantin auf der Sonnenburg: ein bosnisches Volksepos by Rastanak sa Berlinom by Ukrasni motivi na stećcima. Ornamental motifs on tombstones from medieval Bosnia and surrounding regions by The Sarajevo Haggadah. Text: "The Sarajevo Haggadah and its significance in the history of art" by Codex "Christiani" nomine Hval: potpuno faksimilirano izdanje originala iz Univerzitetske biblioteke u BolonjiZbornik Hvala krstjanina: transkripcija i komentar by The blue vein by The unique materials of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, now totaling over 1 million items, include books, broadsides, pamphlets, theater playbills, prints, posters, photographs, and medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. At the center is Thomas Jefferson's book collection, which was sold to Congress in 1815. The Rare Book & Special Collections Reading Room is modeled after Philadelphia's Independence Hall. This room is home to the divisional catalogs, reference collection, and reference staff. Collections are stored in temperature and humidity controlled vaults.
