The Seasons of Books is series of exhibitions organised by the Special Collections Department of the “Lucian Blaga” Central University Library. It is centered round the perception of time in written works.
The first exhibition (3 December 1998) focussed on winter books. Commencing with Jacques Le Goff’s classification of time[1] we presented a time of religious feasts shown by church printings[2], a secular time shown by calendars[3] and an individual time connected to the history of private life in 17th–20th century Transylvania reconstructed through diaries and cookbooks[4].
From a chronological point of view, the exhibits (manuscripts, old and rare books, engravings and postcards) date from the 17th–20th centuries and throw light on the multicultural and multireligious nature of the collections held in our department.
[1] Jacques Le Goff, Civilizaţia Occidentului medieval, Bucureşti, 1970, p.243-244.
[2] Minei pe luna decembrie, medio-Bulgarian edition, 16th century; Noul Testament, Bălgrad, 1648; Apostol, Bucureşti, 1784; Die Merian Bibel, Braunschweig, 1986.
[3] We refer to a few calendars exhibited: Kalendarium, György Abragy, Cluj, 1633; Kalendariom, Misztótfalusi Kis Miklós, Cluj, 1694; Calendarium politico-christianum, Viena, 1643; Schematismus venerabilis Cleri diocesis Magno Varadinensis, Oradea, 1822; Kalendar pentru bunul gospodar, Iaşi, 1845.
[4] Apaffy Mihály, Diarium, s.l., 1690-1694; Wesselényi István Naplója, vol. I, s.l., 1703; Francisc Hossu-Longin, Ziuariul meu, vol. II., s.l., 1906; Szakácskönyv, s.l., 18th century; Gyulai Ferenczné, Koch Buch, s.l., 19th century.
