Armenian Manuscripts

the long version

A complete list of repositories of Armenian manuscripts in the world with full bibliography. Hellenists know the services rendered by the 'Répertoire des catalogues de manuscrits grecs' of Marcel Richard and Jean-Marie Olivier. It is an indispensable heuristic tool, but also a witness to the development of codicology and cultural history. Such a tool was lacking for specialists of Armenian manuscripts, philologists, linguists, and art historians. 'Libraries and Catalogues of Armenian Manuscripts' (in English) is the second edition, revised and updated, of the 'Répertoire des bibliothèques et des catalogues de manuscrits arméniens' first published in 1992. It includes the four supplements published in the journal 'Le Muséon' in 1995, 2000, 2004, and 2019, as well as new sections devoted e.g. to the main copy centers of Armenian manuscripts. The book provides a full bibliography on all repositories of Armenian manuscripts in the world, public and private, large and small. It also gives many insights about the fate of Armenian manuscripts in the course of history: where and when they have been produced, mostly in medieval monastic centers, how they escaped invasions, fires, thefts and even destructions linked to the genocide of the Armenians, and finally how they ended up in private or public collections where they can be studied and admired today. Tables of concordance between current and old references enable one to locate manuscripts that are thought to have disappeared or to find more complete descriptions in an old catalogue than are given in recent lists. The volume also includes an impressive index of manuscripts.