Library of the Juridisch-Politischer Leseverein, Vienna University of Alberta, Bruce Peel Special Collections Library Subjects Austria--History--18th-19th centuries; Europe, Central--History--18th-19th centuries History The collection was acquired in 1969. Description The Library of the Juridisch-politischer Leseverein was Vienna's chief intellectual club of the mid-nineteenth century. The club was founded in 1841 and dissolved by the National Socialists in 1938. When the Austro-Hungarian Empire was at its zenith, highly placed government officials, prelates, scholars, civic dignitaries, and representatives of industry and commerce met at the club for intellectual exchange and discussion. The collection of 13,500 books, serials, and pamphlets is comprehensive in central European political, economic, philosophical, and cultural thought. Some of the pamphlets may be the sole surviving copies of titles once regarded by the Austrian authorities as subversive. The collection has been described as a possible,"Mecca for North American students specializing in Central European history of the mid-nineteenth century". The chronological emphasis is from 1750 to 1900. The geographic emphasis is on Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Manuscripts are excluded from the collection. Gaps in serials and multi-volume works will be filled when possible. Language Multilingual. German predominates. French, Italian, English, and Spanish language material is also present. Holdings 11 650 monographs; 65 serials (in approximately 1 850 volumes); 1 750 pamphlets. Currently, no serial titles are received. Bibliographic Access The collection is catalogued on OPAC. Many items in the collection may be found in Katalog des Druckschriften, 1501-1929 (Österreichische National bibliothek). Physical Access Open to the public. Hours for catalogued material vary with the academic season. For further information visit: http://www.library.ualberta.ca/specialcollections/index.cfm. Interlibrary Loan: Yes. The only restrictions relate to particularly valuable, rare, and fragile materials. Reprography: Yes. Reference Assistance: Yes. Publications Describing Collection None at present.