National Retrospective Bibliography – a reflection of the Romanian cultural heritage

Abstract

The paper presents a short history of the National Retrospective Bibliography of the Romanian book, highlighting its role and evolution from its establishment to the present. Thus, are mentioned aspects related to the foundation of the National Retrospective Bibliography, a fundamental work for the culture of the Romanian people, as part of Ioan Bianu’s plan, conceived and approved in 1895 by the Romanian Academy. Next, Bianu’s plan is presented in few details, specifying the periods in which the work was divided, as follows: Old Romanian Bibliography: 1508–1830, Modern Romanian Bibliography: 1831–1918 and Retrospective Romanian Bibliography: 1919–1952. A short presentation of Ioan Bianu’s career is made also. The National Retrospective Bibliography is an expression of the Romanian cultural heritage, having a significant role in fulfilling a historical mission: through the printed word it brought to the consciousness of the Romanians the idea of fulfilment of the greatest goal of December 1, 1918 – the unification of Transilvania, Basarabia, and Bucovina with the Romanian Kingdom. Keywords: national bibliography; retrospective bibliography; modern bibliography; Romanian bibliography; Romanian Academy Library; cultural heritage.