Art. 1: Anna Piechota,
The collection of early printed books in the Parish Library of saint Adalbert in Mikołów.

Parish libraries, belonging to a wider group of church libraries, are still not enough researched. These libraries are worth exploring, inter alia because of their specific mission, character, workers and valuable books stored in them. The Parish Library of saint Adalbert (saint Wojciech, near 956 - 997) in Mikołów is one of the oldest parish libraries in Upper Silesia. There are 368 titles of old prints (from 1866 to 1949) in its collection. These books were edited inter alia by Karol Miarka's publishing house. Subject matter of the collection oscillates between theology, biographies, history, belles-lettres et alia.

Art. 2: Dorota Kamisińska,
Miniature booklets.

A book is a perfect place of word and visual art - it favors the creation of works of art resulting from a new look at reality. The starting point for the miniature booklets - handwritten and hand adorned by the author - is a poem; the choice of concept and materials used to embody it depends on the personal reception of the poetic word and attaining to keep harmony between the word and form and image presented in the book. The subject of miniature booklets was prepared and developed by the author in the form of workshops where participants design and make their own booklets: they find in the text what they consider to be the most essential and transform it creatively.

Art. 3: John Michalski,
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

The author describes one of the most interesting items form the Library of Congress' collection - the 1570 edition of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the earliest edition of Abraham Ortelius' atlas. All the features that make the atlas unique are mentioned: interesting motives the title page, presence of the descriptive texts, one volume portrait of the world, decorated and neatly engraved maps and outstanding ornaments such as ships, mermaids, monsters of which adds to their charm. The author gives us also some details about Abraham Ortelius, considered to be one of the most famous cartographers and "the father of the atlas". The text provides links to the atlas digital version.

Art. 4: Maria Pidłypczak-Majerowicz,
Rear gems of Bielorussian libraries.

The parts of old monastery book collections have been included into 'rare books' sections at contemporary libraries of Bielorussia, Latvia, Russia and Ukraine. Bielorussian national libraries of Minsk, Grodno, Polock and Vitebsk gathered a significant number of beautifully edited prints and manuscripts. The National Library of Bielorussia in Minsk, in particular, has managed to gather some very valuable historical works by adding private, misplaced and abandoned collections to the library core. During the eighty years of the Library's existence its rare books collection grew significantly. It is worth mentioning that the term 'rare book' is used in libraries of Eastern Europe to describe prints and manuscripts regardless of the time of their publication and their 'rarity' is determined by their form and contents, as well as by its origins. This is how the structure of a rare book collection (Otdel Redkoj Knigi) differs from the one at Polish libraries.

Art. 5: Wanda A.Ciszewska,
Resources for research on books in the years 1945-1950

This article presents sources for research on books of years 1945-1950. The main subject of the comprehensive analysis are archives stored in institutions of different kind: e.g. Archive of New Files, regional national archives, or at cultural and educational institutions. Of the years 1945-1950, there remains detailed documentation related to the activity of cooperatives which stems from close oversight of institutions dealing with cooperative movement. There is not, however, enough sources on the subject of the activity of private publishers and book dealers. With regards to the issue of private publishers - the author suggests seeking out persons previously involved in publishing and distribution process, or their remaining relatives and including their private collections (memorabilia, photographs, correspondence). The author also points out the significance of the printed sources - publishing catalogues, pamphlets, advertisements and press releases related to the activity of the publishing houses and bookstores.