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UL professor Peter Schmidt’s (Pēteris Šmits) book collection

UL professor Peter Schmidt’s (Pēteris Šmits) book collection

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Peter Schmidt (Pēteris Šmits, 1869-1938). 1930. Photo: Ādolfs Miķelis Zvirbulis
Peter Schmidt in his study room. The 1920’s. Photographer unknown
Portrait of Peter Schmidt. 1904. Photo - N. Dimitriadi. Verso - dedication by Peter Schmidt to his brother-in-law Jānis Vītols (Vītoliņš), January 27, 1904, in Vladivostok
Chinese folk-tales, selected and translated by Peter Schmidt to present Chinese folklore more widely to Latvian readers, published by Valters and Rapa in 1936
“Mythology of Latvians” - one of the very first books donated to the Library by prof. P. Schmidt, starting on his work for The Latvia Higher School (Latvijas Augstskola) in 1920. Published in 1918 by the Society of Latvian Writers and Artists in Moscow
A book of modern (i.e.,18th century) Chinese folklore with parallel text in Chinese and French, and illustrations in the text (Folk-lore chinois moderne. [Sienhsien] - Imprimerie de la mission catholique, 1909)
Double-page spread from folklore collection “Folk-lore chinois moderne” (1909), compiled and translated by French missionary-sinologist L.Wieger (1856-1933) <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/04_Smits_Folklore_Chinois_Moderne.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
Observations on beliefs, the traditional lifestyle and culture of Golds, or Nanai people, collected by Russian orientalist I.A. Lopatin (И.А. Лопатин,1888-1970) during his expeditions (Верования гольдов. [Николаевск-на-Амуре] - Тип. Союза Усть-Амурских Кооперативов, [1919])
Classification of the Chinese dialects by German diplomat and linguist P.G. von Möllendorff (1847-1901), published in French (Classification des dialectes chinois. Ningpo - Imprimerie de la mission catholique, 1899)
Methodical aid for mastering hieroglyphics of Chinese language, elaborated by S.N. Usov (С.Н. Усов, 1891-1966), Russian orientalist, university lecturer of Faculty of Law in Harbin
(К вопросу об изучении письма иероглифов. [Харбин] : [без издательства], [1927])
Description-investigation of Chinese numismatic objects - amulet coins and beneficial medals from Hermitage by Russian orientalist-encyclopaedist, a posterior academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, V.M. Alekseyev (В.М. Алексеев,1881-1951) (Описаніе китайскихъ монетовидныхъ амулетовъ и благожелательныхъ медалей изъ коллекціи Императорскаго Эрмитажа. С.-Петербургъ : Типографія Императорской Академии наук, 1912). With explanation and interpretation of given objects, animals, legends, comparison of variants and analogies
Amulets interpreted as symbol-type rebuses. Illustration from “Описаніе китайскихъ монетовидныхъ амулетовъ и благожелательныхъ медалей изъ коллекціи Императорскаго Эрмитажа”(“Description of amulet coins and beneficial medals from collection of Imperial Hermitage”)
Lectures on the history of the development of basic foundations of Chinese material and spiritual culture, delivered in 1918-1919 by N. Kuehner (Н.В. Кюнер,1877-1955), the former student, then colleague of P.Schmidt (Лекціи по исторіи развитія главнѣйшихъ основъ китайской матеріальной и духовной культуры, читанныя въ 1918-1919 акад. году въ Восточномъ Институтѣ, нынѣ Восточномъ Факультетѣ Государственнаго Дальневосточнаго Университета. Владивостокъ : Изданіе Н.В. Рѣпина, 1921)
A monograph on the religious philosophical conception of the Chinese people “Загробный суд в представлениях китайского народа = Judgement Day Beyond the Grave in the Conception of the Chinese People” by I.G. Baranov (И.Г. Баранов,1886-1972), the most outstanding Russian sinologist in Harbin, lecturer and translator of Chinese and former student of P.Šmits. Issued in Harbin, 1928
The God of Longevity Shou-Sin, one of the most popular deities of the Chinese pantheon, embodies long and healthy life and helps the sick. He has in his hand the elixir of immortality. Illustration from “Загробный суд в представлениях китайского народа = Judgement Day Beyond the Grave in the Conception of the Chinese People” (1928)
The cycle of reincarnation - six forms or stages, issuing from one ‘root’. The human level is on the right side and the animal level is on the left side. The chance for the next life to be a high official, or a poor widow depends on the efforts to behave in this life. Double-page spread from “Загробный суд в представлениях китайского народа = Judgement Day Beyond the Grave in the Conception of the Chinese People” (1928)
Russian-Oroch dictionary with the grammar outline, compiled by Major-General of Russian Army and ethnographer S.G. Leontovich (С.Г. Леонтович, 1862-?). (Краткiй русско-ороченскiй словарь съ грамматической замѣткой : нарѣчiе бассейна рѣки Тумнинъ, впадающей въ Татарскiй проливъ, сѣвернѣе Императорской гавани / составилъ Сергѣй Леонтовичъ. Владивостокъ : Типографiя Н.В. Ремезова,1896). The Oroch language was oral only, it still had no writing system until about 100 years later
The first course of lectures delivered by Prof. P.Schmidt in The Latvia Higher School (Latvijas Augstskola) in the academic year 1920/21 - “Introduction into Baltic Philology”. Synopsis of lectures have been the first one in this new scientific discipline - Baltic philology (Ievads baltu filoloģijā : prof. P. Šmidta lekciju konspekts. Rīga : Vītums, [1921?])
One of works on Baltic ethnology represented in this collection - “Die deutsch-russischen Ostseeprovinzen, oder, Natur- und Völkerleben in Kur-, Liv- und Ehstland” (Dresden ; Leipzig, 1841) by German travel writer Johann Georg Kohl (1808-1898) <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/18_Smits.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
Illustrated title page added to the 2nd volume of J.G. Kohl’s (1808-1898) ethnographic historical description of his travels to Baltic provinces “Die deutsch-russischen Ostseeprovinzen, oder, Natur- und Völkerleben in Kur-, Liv- und Ehstland” (1841), depicting the illustrator’s notion of Latvian poetry (Poesie der Letten), supposedly the subject-matter of folk songs
A textbook for the acquirement of North Chinesische colloquial speech “Einführung in die nordchinesische Umgangssprache : praktisches Übungsbuch zunächst als Grundlage für den Unterricht am Seminar” (Stuttgart ; Berlin : W. Spemann, 1894) by the most prominent 19th century German sinologist Carl Arendt (1838-1902) from the series of Oriental languages textbooks “Lehrbücher des Seminars für Orientalische Sprachen zu Berlin”
A peculiar historic-geographic encyclopaedia on Mongolian nomads - “Мэнъ-гу-ю-му-цзи. Записки о монгольскихъ кочевьяхъ” (С.-Петербургъ : Паровая скоропечатня П.О. Яблонскаго, 1895), translated from Chinese by Russian sinologist and dragoman at Diplomatic Mission in Peking P.S. Popov (П.С. Попов, 1842-1913). Includes historical, geographical and archaeological information about various regions of Mongolia and Northern China. This translation was awarded the gold medal by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/20_Smits.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
Manchu reader in 2 volumes (Маньчжурская хрестоматiя. Санктпетербургъ : Типографiя Императорской Академiи наукъ, 1893-1895), compiled by A.O. Ivanovsky (А.О. Ивановский, 1863-1903), professor at the St. Petersburg University and the only nobleman among Russian orientalists <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/21_Smits.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
Manchu reader in 2 volumes (Маньчжурская хрестоматiя. Санктпетербургъ : Типографiя Императорской Академiи наукъ, 1893-1895), compiled by A.O. Ivanovsky (А.О. Ивановский, 1863-1903), professor at the St. Petersburg University and the only nobleman among Russian orientalists <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/22_Smits.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
Synopsis of lectures on the introduction to linguistics by P. Schmidt (Ievads valodniecībā : prof. P. Šmidta lekciju konspekts 1920/1 akademiskā gadā. Rīgā : Valters un Rapa, 1921). The lecture course “Introduction to Linguistics” was under the management of Prof. P. Schmidt from his first year at the University of Latvia in 1920 to the last year of his life in 1938, and so this lithographed synopsis of 1921 grew into the profound book “Ievads valodniecībā” (“Introduction to Linguistics”) in 1934
Chinese textbook “Hua yu kui bu” (“Learning Chinese Step-by-Step”), published in Tokyo in 1910. Signed by Duan Fang (1861-1912, a high Chinese official of Manchu origin)
Lithographed edition of the handwritten copy of lectures by Professor of the St. Petersburg University and founder of the academic school of Russian sinology V.P. Vasilyev (В.П. Васильев, 1818-1900) - “Матерiалы по исторiи китайской литературы : лекцiи, читанныя заслуженным профессоромъ С.-Петербургскаго Императорскаго Университета В.П. Васильевымъ”, i.e., “Materials on the History of Chinese Literature” ([С.-Петербургъ] : Лит. Иконникова, [1888]) <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/11_Smits.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
The last linguistics lectures delivered at the Far Eastern University in Vladivostok by Prof. Peter Schmidt, lithographed handwritten copy of “Языковѣдѣние : лекціи, читанныя студентам Владивостокскаго Историко-Филологическаго факультета в 1918-19 г.г. проф. П.П. Шмидт[ом]” (“Linguistics : lectures delivered to the students of the Faculty of Humanities in Vladivostok [by] Prof. P.P. Schmidt”) <br><a href=http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/projekti/5mirkli/Iespieddarbi/Smita_kolekcija/23_Smits.JPG>View larger</a><b></b>
The only book from P.Schmidt’s collection written in Arabic - حروف التاج و علامات الترقيم و مواضع إستعمالها [Ḥurūf at-tāğ wa-ʻalāmāt at-tarqīm wa-mawāḍiʼ istiʻmālihā] - the Egyptian Ministry of Education’s manifesto on the reform of orthography “Crown Letters and Punctuation and Their Placements”, published in 1931 as an attempt to set rules for the punctuation and to implement capital letters into the Arabic script
Double-page spread from the publication “Ḥurūf at-tāğ wa-ʻalāmāt at-tarqīm wa-mawāḍiʼ istiʻmālihā” (“Crown Letters and Punctuation and Their Placements”, 1931). The Crown script (Khat al Taj) was a modern Arabic script fabricated by Egyptian calligrapher Mohammad Mahfouz, where the capital Crown letters are different from small letters in a sense that they possess a loop—or an upside-down لا—on top of them (crowned). Nevertheless, Arabic still doesn’t use capital letters, proper nouns still don’t begin with capital letters, and the first letter of the sentence still isn’t written as a Capital letter
Explanatory dictionary “Guan hua cui zhen” (literally: “Treasure of official language [Mandarin]”); English title “A Character Study in Mandarin Colloquial, Alphabetically Arranged”) - a lithographic printing in a European style cover, together with typical Chinese style framed layout of pages and arrangement according to romanized phonetic transcription, as it emerged in 19th century China, influenced by Western linguistics culture. Published in Peking, 1898, by missionary and translator of The Bible in Chinese, Chauncey Goodrich alias Fu Shan (1836-1925)
English title page of the item - “A Character Study in Mandarin Colloquial, Alphabetically Arranged”
Chinese title page of the item (to be read from right to left of the book) - “Guan hua cui zhen” (with a handwritten transcription of the title and specification of the genre in Latvian, given by P.Schmidt)
Double-page spread from “Guan hua cui zhen” (“A Character Study in Mandarin Colloquial, Alphabetically Arranged”)