The book collection of Dr. Jürgen Scholle was transferred to the UCL Cologne as a valuable private library, which perfectly complements the collection especially of the "Old Book" for the 18th and 19th centuries, since about one third of the collection can be attributed to it. Starting with the Enlightenment period, the collection focuses on literature from the onset of modernity and Romanticism to the Vormärz period. The literature of Realism in the subsequent period of the Gründerzeit is also represented in abundance. The University and City Library of Cologne owes special thanks to Mrs. Astrid Scholle for donating over 1,000 books from her husband's library. The library was placed closed under the shelfmark "SCHO".
Biographical notes on Jürgen Scholle
Born on 23 May 1940 in Dortmund, Jürgen Scholle studied human medicine at the universities of Cologne and Würzburg from 1961 to 1967. He received his doctorate in medicine in Würzburg in 1968. After his licence to practise medicine, he trained as a specialist in 1970-1974. As a gynaecologist he practiced in Cologne until 2000. Since 2005 he has been a member of the Cologne Library Society. Dr. Jürgen Scholle died in Cologne on 12 November 2006.
The book ... not only aesthtic object
Dr. Jürgen Scholle's passion for the aesthetic side of a book collection and his pleasure in successful bindings are reflected in the appearance of his library and his many years of cooperation with a bookbindery when it came to repairing or rebinding bindings. Nevertheless, collecting books meant not only hoarding valuable literary, printing and handicraft products, but the books were primarily meant to be read. On the other hand, the fact that they were actually read is not apparent, since the state of preservation of the older volumes in particular is of exceptionally good quality.
Further focuses of the collection
In addition to old prints and many volumes of contemporary literature, the spectrum of the bibliophile collector also included travel literature. Literary testimonies of the 18th and 19th centuries about journeys to the Orient and other exotic destinations can be found in this private library as well as early merian books. Further focal points are the exquisite editions of the Inselbücherei, prints in magnificent covers and classics such as Goethe and Heine, which are represented in a wide variety of editions. Since many works were acquired antiquarily, the library holds works from other private collections, such as books from the disbanded and auctioned library of the von Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck family from the Castel Dyck near Jüchen between Mönchengladbach and Grevenbroich in 1992/93.
Books and other collection objects can be made available for research purposes in the Historical Collections Reading Room zur Verfügung gestellt werden.