The Library Inventory of a Palermitan Bibliographer: the Books of Antonino Mongitore (1663-1743)

Abstract

Antonino Mongitore (1633-1743) was a scholar and bibliographer, who trained at the Jesuit College of Palermo then he was ordained a priest in 1687. Fellow and founder of numerous academies, he was involved, mainly, in city history and hagiography. His Bibliotheca Sicula is a well-known bio-bibliographical repertory published in two volumes, the former in 1707, the latter in 1714. This paper originated from the finding in the State Archives of Palermo of the inventory of its library, full of 2775 editions, examined according to the quantitative method. An initial analysis of this document and the study of further sources allow us to broaden this Sicilian priest's cultural profile and interests.

Keywords

• private library
• erudition
• regional bibliographies
• republic of letters
• antonino mongitore
• palermo