É. Apor , H. Wang (ed.): Catalogue of the Collections of Sir Aurel Stein in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Comp. by John Falconer, Ágnes Kárteszi, Ágnes Kelecsényi, Lilla Russell-Smith.

KELECSÉNYI Ágnes: Sir Aurel Stein and the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

SIR AUREL STEIN Gyula Haraszthy, Director of the Library, took the matter to István Rusznyák, President of the Academy, and asked for his support on the following grounds: 'Aurel Stein's library is a very important and precious collection, the acquisition of which would be invaluable to both the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and all Hungarian Orientalist researchers. Receiving this bequest made by our world-famous scientist in the spirit of his will would be important also from the viewpoint of our international relations. Thus we could ensure that this collection of particularly great value even by international standards would be available in a single most appropriate place to facilitate research work.' The appeal was upheld. In September 1956 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the President of the Academy of the release of seizure by the Enemy Property Department. Then, in a letter dated 20 September, he authorised the Hungarian ambassador in London to accept the bequest and arrange its transport to Hungary. But this was not possible for several months. On 23 October 1956 revolution broke out in Hungary, Soviet troops invaded to suppress it, followed by massive retaliation. It was on 7 April 1957 that the Director of the Library could at last report to the President of the Academy that the Stein bequest had arrived. As directed by the executors of the will, each book had a label, made by the Oxford University Press, which read Hunc librum Academiae Hungaricae Scientiarum legavit Marcus Aurelius Stein obiit 26 octobris 1943. A preliminary report on the bequest was written by László Rásonyi, Head of the Oriental Collection, in 7 December 1957, followed by the publication in 1960 of his study entitled 'Aurel Stein and his Legacy', which analyses the bequest in detail and contains the most comprehensive biography of Stein in the Hungarian language." According to this study, the bequest added 2,300 books and reprints, and 180 volumes of periodicals to the Library of the Academy. Adding to them the Srinagar library, comprising 1,154 volumes, donated in 1924, gave a total of 3,600 books and reprints donated by Sir Aurel Stein to the Library. Four-fifths of these went into the Oriental Collection of the Library. The bequest also included duplicates of his own works, and these were deposited in the libraries of other academic institutions and university departments concerned with India and Central Asia. Cataloguing of the books started shortly after their arrival. The books were entered into the Library catalogues, and from then on did not constitute a separate collection. However, the provenance of each volume was noted on each respective catalogue card. The list of Oxford books drawn up by H.M. Allen revealed a change in the subject of interest and research. Compared with the donation received in 1924, the bequest included a greater number of works concerned with Persia and the Near East. There were also more books in the Hungarian language. A number of these were publications sent by the Academy to Stein: for example, the volumes of Archaeologia 1

1 László Rásonyi, Stein Aurél és hagyatéka (Aurel Stein and his Legacy) Budapest, 1960. 37 pp. (Publicationes Bibliothecae Academiae Sc. Hung. No.18). 19