The Publication of the New Issue of Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum

This year’s autumn double issue ofthe journal Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum (Vol. 65, 2020/3–4) offers three studies on different topics. Selected figures of Czech-French cultural relations are discussed in the article of J. Kašparová Mezi Prahou a Paříží. Neznámé a málo známé „hrdinky“ česko-francouzského kulturního světa první poloviny 20. století [Between Prague and Paris. Unknown and Little-Known ‘Heroines’ of the Czech-French Cultural World of the First Half of the 20th Century]. The issues of the preservation and reconstruction of selected female monasteries are dealt with in R. Modráková’s text Knihovny ženských klášterů v pohusitském období [Libraries of Female Monasteries in the Post-Hussite Period]. J. Bílek’s study Pátečníci v kresbě [Drawings of the Friday Men] is devoted to depictions of this group in the drawings by Adolf Hoffmeister. The Miscellanea section contains V. Karfusová’s article Oživlé knižní písmo Oldřicha Menharta [Oldřich Menhart’s Typefaces Brought to Life], briefly outlining the process of the digitisation of the Figural typeface from the 1940s, during which also pencil drawings from the collections of the Book Culture Department are used. The autumn double issue further includes six reviews. It is worth mentioning especially the extensive contribution by J. Kašparová dedicated to the publication Histoire d’un livre: la Nef des fous, de Sébastien Brant by the French historian Frédéric Barbier and the synoptic review by E. Frimmová, dealing with two catalogues recently published in the Olomouc Museum of Art, namely Kroměřížská zámecká knihovna I. Prvotisky/Schlossbibliothek Kremsier I. Inkunabeln [Kroměříž Castle Library I. Incunabula] and Kroměřížská zámecká knihovna II. Katalog 1691 [Kroměříž Castle Library II. 1691 Catalogue]. The review of K. Andresová Skoupá presents the publication Věrnost a zrada v ohroženém městě. Prameny k politické komunikaci Českých Budějovic na počátku stavovského povstání (1618) [Loyalty and Betrayal in a Threatened City: Sources on the Political Communication of České Budějovice at the Beginning of the Bohemian Revolt (1618)] in the broader historical context. Besides an introductory study, the monograph presents editions of a number of documents created during the siege of České Budějovice in 1618. J. Sichálek has evaluated the importance of the publication Výklad Mikuláše z Lyry na evangelium sv. Matouše. Kritická edice staročeského překladu [A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew by Nicholas of Lyra. A Critical Edition of the Old Czech Translation], which brings, among other things, the first modern critical edition of the Old Czech translation of this Latin text. J. Srnková has briefly discussed the publication Středověké rukopisy v českých zemích. Handbušek kodikologa [Medieval Manuscripts in the Czech Lands. A Codicologist’s Handbook], which, by means of a rich visual accompaniment, shows how to create a catalogue description of a medieval manuscript. The section is then concluded by K. Voleková’s review of a collection published on the occasion of a significant birthday, Zahrada slov. Ad honorem Zuzana Silagiová [The Garden of Words: Ad Honorem Zuzana Silagiová]. The section The News from the National Museum Library brings, besides its regular part New Collection Acquisitions in the National Museum Library, information on two exhibitions. The first of them, entitled Vzdělaný čtenář [Educated Reader], was organised within the project Virtuální rekonstrukce rozptýlených provenienčně bohemikálních knižních celků v tuzemských i zahraničních knihovnách [Virtual Reconstruction of Scattered Book Collections of Bohemical Provenance in the Czech and Foreign Libraries] by the National Museum Library in cooperation with other institutions at Kynžvart Castle. A significant role in the preparation of the exhibition Hudební zvěřinec [Musical Menagerie], currently organised by the Czech Museum of Music, was played by the Book Culture Department of the National Museum Library. Information on the collection items loaned from the library to the exhibition is provided in the contribution by V. Karfusová, Sbírky Knihovny Národního muzea na výstavě Hudební zvěřinec [Collections from the National Museum Library at the Exhibition Musical Menagerie]. Another regular part of the autumn double issue is the section of Matiční listy of the Czech cultural association Matice česká, a part of the National Museum Society, this time dedicated to Božena Němcová. Besides the regular sections Zpráva o činnosti Matice české v roce 2020 [A Report on the Activities of Matice Česká in 2019] and Informační panely připravené v rámci projektu Čeští spisovatelé v regionech České republiky [Information Panels Prepared within the Project Czech Writers in the Regions of the Czech Republic], the section of Matiční listy comprises Yvetta Dörflová’s article Tlumok sběratele. Zápisníky Boženy Němcové [A Collector’s Knapsack. The Notebooks of Božena Němcová], accompanied by many pictures.