Oleksandr Okhrimenko (University of Birmingham, United Kingdom)
This paper examines the “Livonica” section in Daniel Salthenius’s remarkable 22,000-volume library, which was auctioned in 1751-52 and subsequently acquired by Polish nobleman Józef Aleksander Jabłonowski. Building upon my previous research on “Ukrainica” in this collection, this study investigates how Baltic regional print culture was categorised, valued, and understood in the mid-eighteenth century. The Salthenius auction catalogue reveals fascinating taxonomical choices, placing “Danica, Norvegica, Svevica et Livonica” as a distinct historical subsection. This classification system illuminates both the organisational logic of Enlightenment-era libraries and period-specific ideological frameworks regarding Baltic regional identities. Through analysis of bibliographical descriptions, pricing records in the Taxa Biblioteki document, and provenance information, this research reconstructs networks of book circulation connecting Königsberg with Livonian centres of learning. The paper identifies specific imprints, manuscripts, and texts about Livonia in the collection, examining how they were described, categorised, and valued compared to other regional collections. Special attention is paid to works by Balthasar Russow, Paul Einhorn, and other chroniclers of Livonian history, as well as materials printed in Baltic centres. This investigation not only contributes to our understanding of how early modern scholars conceptualised regional book cultures but also reveals the cross-border intellectual networks that facilitated knowledge exchange in Northern Europe. By examining Salthenius’s collection through the lens of its Livonica holdings, we gain insight into how early modern print culture shaped regional identities and influenced scholarly perceptions of Baltic cultural heritage.