C. Csapodi, E. Moravek et al.(szerk.): The Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1826–1961.

II. The Use of the Library

for posterity all the values left to us by previous ages. We may thus speak of conservation rather than of restoration in this facet of our work. Where new bindings had to he made we insisted on two main features: the new binding must be able to conserve the material for further centuries, and it must be in harmony with the general effect of the collection (Fig. 51—52). The work of restoration sometimes provides valuable surprises: we succeeded in steeping a one folio incunable calendar dating from 1483 out of a book cover (Fig. 36), while from another one we gained a playing-card from 1570 (Fig. 37). There is also a show-case in the last room of the Department of Manuscripts and Old Books, containing rarities of the collections. This room belonged to the apartment of the great General Secretary of the Academy, .János Arany, the poet. His memory is preserved by the old stove, the poet's armchair and his picture on the wall. Returning to the ground-floor of the Academy, the visitor may enter the Oriental Department. It was opened in 1951. The stock of the material collected here was constituted by the oriental items which had been found within the various subject areas of the main stack of the Library. The Tibetan manuscripts of Sándor Körösi Csorna came to Hungary by way of Tivadar Duka, a medical colonel in India (Fig. 43). A collection of Turkish codices was donated by Ármin Vámbéry (Fig. 45). — David Kaufmann bequeathed by will to the Academy his collection of Hebrew brooks and manuscripts of great international value (Fig. 44). Later on Sándor Kégl's library of Persian and Sanscrit books, and the private collection of Sir Marc Aurel Stein was incorporate in the Oriental Department, — as he wrote in his will: ,,in token of my grateful remembrance of the help I received from the latter (Academy) as a student and of the encouragement which the Academy accorded me as one of its members." The entry to the Oriental Department is through a reading room, accommodating 8 readers. Its gallery is of near eastern style, the panelling being decorated with motifs taken from the architecture of the Islam (Fig. 41). A reference library housed in this room gives informations about the cultures and peoples of India, Iran, the Caucasus, the ancient Near East, Israel 22