Centre for Advanced Book History Research
Established in autumn 2025, the Centre for Advanced Book History Research investigates early modern book culture within its historical and social contexts. The Centre’s research delves into all aspects of book production, from the creation and design of individual works to their distribution and reception by readers. By combining traditional bibliographical and historical methods with advanced digital technologies and data analysis, the Centre offers innovative perspectives that bridge historical scholarship with contemporary methodologies.
Research Focus
The Centre’s research programme is divided into several thematic areas. A key long-term project explores book culture during the Rudolfine era (1580–1618), a period when Prague became an important European hub for book production, trade, and intellectual life. This research examines the activities of Prague-based printers and bookbinders, trade networks, and the reception of books in both urban and courtly environments. Another significant focus is the ongoing research on the Swedish literary spoils from the Czech lands, conducted in collaboration with Swedish memory institutions. This project centres on reconstructing confiscated libraries transported to Sweden as spoils of war during the Thirty Years’ War.
The Centre also investigates the printing activities of the Unity of the Brethren, a Protestant group known for producing the first Czech translation of the Bible from the original languages. Building on detailed research into the first period of their press in Ivančice (1562–1578), it expands to examine the materiality of Brethren books during its subsequent operation in Kralice (1579–1620). Alongside typographic features, it explores how this religious community expressed its identity through print. A separate strand of research focuses on Hebrew printing in the Czech lands, particularly in the 18th century. It analyses changes in the linguistic and genre composition of Jewish-oriented publications in the context of contemporary social and cultural transformations.
The Centre publishes the scholarly journal Knihy a dějiny, a leading platform for showcasing current research, indexed in databases including Scopus. It also provides expert guidance on the processing and accessibility of visual materials using the ICONCLASS system.
PhDr. Lenka Veselá, Ph.D.
Head of the Research Centre
vesela@knav.cz
Mgr. Andrea Jelínková, Ph.D.
jelinkova@knav.cz
PhDr. Veronika Sladká, Ph.D.
sladka@knav.cz