Strengthening Modern Greek Collections

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The Gennadius Library

Harris Kalligas, Director, Gennadius Library

John Gennadius (1844-1932) was born in Athens, the son of George Gennadius. George Gennadius fought during the War of Independence. He taught during and after the War and was among the founders of the most important educational institutions of Modern Greece, the National Library, the University of Athens, the Numismatic Museum, and the Arsakeion. John Gennadius inherited his love of books from his father. He left Athens in 1862 to work as a businessman for the Ralli Brothers in London. He reacted toward the anti-Greek sentiment following the kidnapping in Greece of a group of visitors by writing an "anonymous" pamphlet, which earned him fame and an appointment in the Greek Diplomatic Service. He remained most of his years of service in England, successfully representing Greek interests. His role as the Greek representative for the London Peace Conference of 1912-1913 was extremely important. He married Florence Laing Kennedy in 1902.

He began his collection of books and other Greek memorabilia after 1870 and by 1895 his Library reached its full growth. It was a comprehensive collection on Greece seen as a continuity from antiquity to his day. His aim had been: "to form a library that represents the creative genius of Greece at all periods, the influence of her arts and sciences upon the western world, and the impression created by her natural beauty upon the traveller."

Gennadius catalogued his own book collection as follows:

1. Archaeology and the Fine Arts

2. Autograph Letters and other documents

3. "The Book," the Library, Bookbindings, etc.

4. Byron and Byroniana

5. Eastern Question

6. Engravings...Specimens of Newspapers

7. Genealogy and Bibliography

8. Gennadius, Laing and Venizelos families

9. Goegraphy, Cartography, Voyages and Travel, and Topography

10. Grammars, etc. ...,Lexicons...

11. Greek Classical Literature

12. Historians of Greece...of the Levant...of England

13. Kingdom of Greece (1833-1910)

14. Coray (Adamantios Koraes)

15. Mansuscripts

16. Modern Greek Literature

17. Physical, Medical, Industrial, and Commercial aspects of Greece and the Near East

18. Periodical Publications

19. Plaster casts, Medals, Coins, Insignia

20. Pronunciation...mainly of the Greek Language

21. Science of Language, the Dialects, Ancient and Modern Greek, the Language Question in Greece

22. Theology, the Scriptures, the Fathers...and an appendix comprising the works of Leo Allatius (1629-1668)

23. Greek War of Independence

Some of the books were extremely rare:

• the first book printed in Greek
• the first book printed in Athens
• the first edition of Homer
• an Iliad printed in Venice in 1526
• the earliest surviving printed work in demotic Greek
• the Aldine Aeschylus of 1518 and Apollonius of 1521 (once jointly owned by Henry II, King of France, and his mistress), and
• a prayer book for soldiers of the War of Independence.

His interests extended to rare bindings -- beautiful or historically significant. He had a particular interest in Lord Byron. Some of the Byron-related items were the wreath which was put on his coffin, sent by the Greeks of Missiolonghi, a watercolour portrait of Byron and a view of his house in Missolonghi. He had collected several drawings of Greece and Athens in the early 19^th century, like those painted by William Page, as well as the Maryiyannis watercolours, which were painted to illustrate the general's memoirs. Also, numerous engravings, maps, etc. In 1895 financial difficulties forced John Gennadius to sell a significant portion of his Library, which he only partly recovered later.

By 1918, his collection of books numbered about 27000 volumes, some extremely rare. He realized that he should make arrangements for the future. The original idea was to leave it "to supplement and ornament the National Library of Greece, which my father founded in Athens, on the very morrow of her liberation," had changed over the years. In particular, a gift of his, made in 1908 and consisting of 2904 engravings to the National Library along with a detailed catalogue could not be found! He offered his collections to the British School of Archaeology in Athens, but the financial requirements were such that they could not be undertaken and fulfilled. In 1922, John Gennadius represented Greece at the Naval Disarmament Conference in Washington. He met and discussed with the American School members and formally offered his library to the American School of Classical Studies in March 1922, which had to ensure "..that the said Library and Collections be kept permanently and entirely separately from all other books and collections, in a special building.." The Greek State gave the land and the Carnegie Corporation contributed the necessary funds for the construction of the building. The Deed of Gift was signed in October 1922 and work began in May 1923, with plans by the New York firm of architects Van Pelt and Thompson. The building was ready and inaugurated on April 23, 1926. Thus a major centre of research for Greek culture opened its doors in what is now the heart of Athens.

After World War II, the Gennadius Library continued to grow with funds from the American School as well as gifts from friends and supporters, of books, Archives, works of art. In the early 1970s, the building was enlarged by the addition of two wings and the installations were modernized. Some occasional works were also carried out later. The original collections have grown to more than 100,000 volumes and their variety and accessibility have placed the Gennadius Library among the most important centers of scholarship in Greece. Among the most important works of art acquired are about 200 watercolours of Edward Lear, post-Byzantine icons, and Islamic ceramics. The collection of Archives is particularly important and consistently growing. It comprises among others, the Schliemann Archive, acquired in 1937, the Ali-Pasha, the Dragournis, the Souliotis-Nikolaidis papers, and also those of two Nobel laureates, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis, and those of Dimitri Mitropoulos and others. Manuscripts include many albums of original drawings ranging from military drawings of the Morosini period in the Peloponnese to the 19^th century watercolours of ancient monuments.

The collection has quadrupled in size and comprises sources for the study of Post-classical Greece, i.e. Byzantine, Ottoman, and Modern, as well as studies in art history and social and cultutral history of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. There is a significant theology collection covering Orthodoxy, other Eastern rites, western Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The collection of books on travelers is unrivalled. There is a unique collection of early printed editions of Greek classics, as well as archaeological folio volumes of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and the Greek War of Independence.

From 1982 to 1992 collections and readers increased by 100 percent. Most of the Greek books are donated, while purchases try to extend to all categories of the original collections apart from Antiquity, which is covered by the Blogen Library of the American School. It seems obvious that the demands will rise even more in the future. The American School has been trying to provide the necessary funds for improvements in the building and for modern information technologies. It was also important for the endowment to be increased in order to ensure the unimpeded function of the Library.

In 1933, the School's Trustees initiated a campaign to raise the necessary funds to meet endowment, renovation, preservation, and access. A new Board was formed in 1995, The Gennadeion Board, to set forth long-range planning and development. It brought together significant representatives of the financial, cultural, academic, and political communities of the United States and Greece under the chairmanship of Mr. Lloyd Colsen.

A first step was a one-to-one challenge grant from the Mellon Foundation. In 1996 the National Endowment for the Humanities gave the Gennadius a challenge grant to be matched four-to-one at the end of the year 2000. The necessary matching funds have been practically secured from donors in both Greece and the United States.

Plans have been prepared for the renovation and expansion of the Library buildings. The first phase of these works started in February 1999 and is expected to be completed by July 1999. Hopefully, a second phase will follow soon after, to complete the project.

Along with these, the aim is to increase the general endowment and to complete the digitalization of the Library, as well as to audit conservation needs, set up a book bindery, and other secondary needs.

Other needs, mainly in staff will have to be faced in the near future, and it is hoped that current favorable conditions will continue and help develop the Gennadius Library to the level of excellence its collections demand.