Ferenc Menyői Tolvaj (c. 1649–1710) published his first work in Debrecen in 1674, which he called ‘The Mastery of Arithmetic’. From the first edition it was taught in the arithmetic classes of the Debrecen Reformed College. Several further editions were published in the 18th century, for example in Bratislava (1727) and in Levoča (1729).

In his foreword, Tolvaj indicates that his book is intended primarily for students who can read Hungarian and for people working in commerce. It is relatively limited in content, as it deals only with the four basic arithmetic operations and does not mention fractions, but it can still be used as a coursebook for elementary education. Its language is not particularly revolutionary either, since it uses Latin equivalents of established Hungarian mathematical terms. However, his work can be entertaining for younger students, as he presents the rules of arithmetic in verse. One of his 18th-century critics, György Maróthi (1715–1744), a professor in Debrecen, also found that Menyői’s book is lacking more complex calculations, adding that he thought the ’whole work was very silly [...] and boring’, noting that Menyői himself did not seem to understand arithmetic. The present copy was once owned by Ferenc Kenesei, as attested by his ownership record: Sum Kenesei Francisci. 

The book is part of the book adoption program of the Foundation for the University Library. Save a book, adopt a book! For more information visit our website: https://konyvtar.elte.hu/en/support-us/adopt-a-book

RMK I 345b

Menyői Tolvaj Ferenc

Az arithmetikának, avagy az számlálásnak öt speciesinek rövid magyar regulákban foglaltatott mestersége, taliter disponete Franc. Tolv. Menyői, Gyöngyösienen. sch. rectore, az arythmeticat tanuló magyarok kedvekért iratattot és bővebben kibocsátattot

Lőtsén : nyomtatt. Brewer Samuel által, MDCXCIII [1693]

The network of libraries maintained by Eötvös Loránd University, the University Library Service (eltekonyvtarak.elte.hu/en), with more than 4.3 million documents, wishes you a successful autumn semester.

Enrollment is free for all university citizens, and can also be arranged online through the ELTE Library WebApp application. The collection of libraries is available from the online catalog.

The ELTE University Library and Archives welcomes all students in the heart of the city centre, on Ferenciek Square. You can find information about the services available in each library, the tariffs, opening hours and contact details, as well as the many online services of ELTE libraries on the website of the University Library Service.

Between the 31st of July and the 2nd of September 2023, our library and the Eötvös Exhibition will be closed.

Please note that books can be borrowed from the 5th of July 2023 with an expiry date in September 2023, but if the loan expires before the 31st of July 2023, the closing period will be included in the calculation of the overdue fee.

During the closing period, you can return documents in person on working days between 9.00 and 16.00 using the self-lending terminal and book deposit box (Bibliobox) in the lobby or by post (1053 Budapest, Ferenciek tere 6.). The return of the documents will be recorded in the system on the working day and any overdue fees can be settled after the summer break.

From the 4th of September 2023 we will be open as usual.

We wish all our readers pleasant summer and great holidays!

On the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the Buda Chronicle, our temporary exhibition offers an insight into the original version of the Chronica Hungarorum and the most unique publications in the history of printing.

The most famous publication of the first printing house in Hungary is the Chronica Hungarorum (Buda Chronicle), produced by András Hess for the eve of Pentecost on the 5th of June 1473, the original version preserved in our library is also notable for the fact that the edition never left the territory of historic Hungary.

In our country, however, the printing of books could not take root for a long time due to the lack of a suitable patron. A few years later, presumably also in Buda (possibly Bratislava), between 1477 and 1480, another press, the Confessionale printing house, renowned for its first edition, may have been in operation. The printing house's products, the Confessionale by the Florentine Archbishop Antoninus Florentinus and the 15th century Johannine unique biography of St. Jerome by Laudivio Zacchia, are also on display.  

Later, over several decades, the special historical works presented in our exhibition were selected from foreign workshops, including the Thuróczy Chronicle, the Schedel Chronicle with a view of Buda, and the chronicle of the German theologian Johann Ludwig Gottfried, depicting the execution of László Hunyadi.

The chamber exhibition is open until the 8th of September 2023, from 10.00 to 15.00 on weekdays. Registration is possible at titkarsag@lib.elte.hu. More information about our exhibitions is available on our website.

Illustration: The picture features Queen Mary of Hungary (1371-1395), daughter of Louis the Great, wife of Sigismund of Luxembourg. [Thuróczy János, Chronica Hungarorum. Auguste [Augsburg] : impressa Erhardi Ratdolt ... industria … impensis ... Theobaldi Feger, 3. Jun. 1488. fol. m8v.]

Due to the Night of Museums, the library services of the ELTE University Library and Archives will be inaccessible on Saturday, on the 24th of June 2023. Everyone is welcome to join our programmes starting at 15.00.

More details about our event are available on our website, on the official Night of Museums website and here. All visitors are welcome!

On this year's Night of Museums, we present the original edition of the Chronica Hungarorum in our library to mark the 550th anniversary of the printing of the Buda Chronicle. In the exhibition of books related to the volume, visitors also have the opportunity to gain an insight into some of the other special documents from our museum collection.

The opening of the exhibition and the presentation of the Buda Chronicle are organised on the 24th of June 2023 at 19.00 in our Boardroom on the second floor (1053 Budapest, Ferenciek tere 6.). Our guests are invited to test their knowledge and learn more about the Buda Chronicle in our quiz game, which is continuously available in the lobby. For more information about our chamber exhibition and programmes, please visit our website or the Night of Museums’ homepage. All visitors are welcome!

Time:

24th June 2023; 19.00

Venue:

ELTE University Library and Archives (Boardroom, II. Floor)

1053 Budapest, Ferenciek tere 6.

According to our tradition, we will join the Night of Museums on the 24th of June 2023, opening our Buda Chronicle 550 chamber exhibition. From 3 p.m. in the afternoon until midnight, our library welcomes all visitors with craft activities, concerts, guided tours, restoration and calligraphy workshops. Tickets are available at our library information desk.

Our bookbinding and calligraphy workshop is open for children and adults from 15.00 this year.

Our evening programmes open at 6 p.m. with a concert by the String Quartet from the Eötvös Loránd University Orchestra.

On our library tours, visitors can learn about the history of the library palace and the Perczel Globe, and take a look behind the scenes at our historic library. Guided by our restorer, you can gain an insight into paper-casting and bookbinding techniques, along with the process of book disinfection.

On the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the publication of the first book printed in Hungary, we invite you to the opening of an exhibition of our books related to the Chronica Hungarorum, entitled Buda Chronicle 550, at 19.00. Our guests are invited to test their knowledge and learn more about the Buda Chronicle in our quiz game, which is continuously available.

From 20.30 the evening will be enriched by classical music concert entitled History of Love – Happiness, Misery and Healing, performed by the Festival Academy Budapest Ensemble.

The doors of the Eötvös exhibition will also be open, where you can learn about the life and work of Loránd Eötvös through our interactive tools and the instruments of the researcher.

Detailed programme available on our website and on the official website of the Night of Museums.

All visitors are welcome!

Photo, audio and video recordings will be made of the events. The recordings will be published on the websites, publications, forums and social media of the participating institutions.

During the Easter holidays, between the 7th of April 2023 and the 10th of April 2023, the ELTE University Library and Archives is closed.

From the 11th of April 2023, we are open with our full range of services.

We wish you a happy and blessed Easter! 

This missal was printed in 1704 in Nagyszombat (Trnava, Slovakia), and contains the text of the requiem mass, from the Missale Romanum, to be used in every church (based on the title page).

The book contains the complete text of the Mass with the canon, and each part is supplemented by musical notations for the sung segments. The sheets (consisting of four staves) are not engravings but rather made up of small individual pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. This becomes evident when one looks at the tiny spaces between the pieces. Besides the sheets, the volume is enriched with two-colour printing (black and red) and a copperplate engraving prefacing the canon of the mass (depicting Jesus on the cross, the Virgin Mary and Saint John). The large fonts of this folio print make it possible to read the missal from a distance. The leather markers also had a practical use: the priest could turn a page without touching the paper, thus his hands remained clean. According to the possession note on the title page, the Minorites of Lőcse (Levoča, Slovakia) used the book in the18th century (1722). The friars wrote short Latin texts on the verso of the last leaf with the date 3 November.

The book is part of the book adoption program of the Foundation for the University Library. Save a book, adopt a book!

For more information visit our website: https://konyvtar.elte.hu/en/support-us/adopt-a-book 

RMK II 534a

Missae in agenda defunctorum tantum deservientes : ex missali Romano recognito desumptae, cum ordinario, et canone, ut in ipsis servatur, ad usum, et

commoditatem omnium ecclesiarum

Tyrnaviae [Nagyszombat] : ex typographia Academica Soc. Jesu, anno M.D.CC.IV.

[1704]