The Islamic Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the Breslau State and University Library between 1924–1932

Abstract Breslau University, now known as Wrocław University and located in Wrocław, Poland, played a significant role in the life of Oskar Rescher, a remarkable 20th-century Orientalist, serving as more than merely an establishment where he sold manuscripts. It is where he obtained his venia legendi by completing his habilitation in 1919, and subsequently worked as a lecturer, Privatdozent , and professor in the Faculty of Philosophy. He was employed as an Oriental languages lecturer, teaching more than twenty courses in Arabic, Turkish, and Syriac, and he also worked in the university library classifying Oriental manuscripts. Rescher sold 110 volumes of Islamic manuscripts to this library between 1924–1932. He maintained contact with the institution until 1933 when his venia legendi privilege was revoked. This study touches upon Rescher’s contact with Breslau University, and presents a list of the Islamic manuscripts he sold to the university library.