University Library of Bern UB

Rare books

Singer collection

Sammelband zum "Parzival" mit Zeitungsausschnitten, Signatur MUE Singer IV 499
Collection of articles on "Parzival" with newspaper clippings, shelfmark MUE Singer IV 499

The Singer library includes more than 27.000 volumes and belongs to the special collections of the University Library. The Viennese lawyer and specialist in German studies Samuel Singer (1860-1948) established it for his work as a lecturer. Moreover it served as a reference library for his “Thesaurus proverbiorum medii aevi”. Singer’s library determined the later collection focus on Romance and Germanic studies after its acquisition by the University Library. Samuel Singer worked as an associate professor from 1896 to 1904, then he became an Ordinarius. He retired in 1930.