Old printed books. Digital repository of European rarities

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Description

The Mykhailo Maksymovych scientific library at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv has scanned and digitized over 3000 old and rare books ranging from the 15th through the late 19th centuries. Books come from all over Europe and include many culturally significant books from Ukraine. Users can use "advanced search" to search by author, title, period, or publisher, or click "browse catalogue" to view the complete list of digital holdings. Of the total scanned files, over currently 1363 are complete with descriptions, while the remaining 2261 are missing descriptions (and the library is asking for volunteers to help identify these books). One highlight of the collection is the Old Ukrainian language text "Perlo mnohotsennoye" ("The Most Precious Pearl") by Kyryl Trankvilion, a churchman, teacher, and writer who wrote this collection of prose and poetry in the style of Ukrainian folk poems in the late 17th century.