Balogh Zoltán (szerk.): Neograd 2014-2015. R. Várkonyi Ágnes (1928-2014) emlékére - A Dornyay Béla Múzeum Évkönyve 38. (Salgótarján, 2015)

Történelem - Praznovszky Mihály: Köznemesség és könyvkultúra a 19. század első felében Nógrád megyében

MIHÁLY PRAZNOVSZKY

LANDED GENTRY AND BOOK PRINTING IN THE FIRST HALF OF 19TH CENTURY IN NÓGRÁD COUNTY

Just like everywhere else in Hungary at that time, the local gentry of Nógrád county became extremely divided as well. Due to their wealth, they represented themselves in public life, politics and book culture with different gravity. In Nógrád county in 1826 they published a local historical monography about Antal Mocsáry, a scholar judge. This was a good guide about the cultural life of the local nobility. In addition to this there is little data in the archives. At that time a small group was formed, who had a significant amount of books in their possession, and they used their knowledge for the better of the nation. In the essay, we present - through various instances from other counties that Nógrád had a serious fallback caused by their limited possibilities in a social and infrastructural perspective. We also see that literacy and book purchases were developing very slowly. During the reform age (1825-1848) in Hungary, the local gentry began to form reading societies, public libraries and casinos were founded, altough the whole process was defined by the dividedness mentioned earlier. The formation of the civil society in Nógrád county after 1849 began with severe handicaps.

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