What does the philologist’s library make possible? The case of Stefan Szymutko

Łukasz Żurek

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A b s t r a k t

In the first part of the article, I demonstrate that private libraries of scholars in the humanities (including literary scholars) have still not become legitimate objects of study and explain the reasons behind it. In the second part of the article, I analyze a case study: Stefan Szymutko’s book collection. The analysis of notes, marks and flashcards found on the margins of books demonstrates that various types of pre-texts and “soft facts” allow scholars to expand their knowledge about Szymutko as an academic, literary critic, and writer.