French grammarians of the 17th and 18th century as presented in the Library of Zadar

Abstract

There is an unusual number of works of French grammarians and lexicographers of the 17th and 18th century in the library od Zadar among which we find such names as: Arnauld, Lancelot, Ménage, Bouhours, Duclot, Dumarsais, Beauzée, Condilac, etc. This fact brings different thoughts to mind as to the scope and meaning of these works. These books might have been read in Zadar in the 17th and 18th century which would go well with the thesis about cultural connections between Zadar and France. This hypo- thesis has to be rejected since the evidence is not sufficient. The greatest number of books came to Zadar in 1855 as part of the donation of the founder of the library, Pier Alesando Paravia who was the professor of nethoric at the University of Torino. Only a few books could have belonged to Zadar owners. These books, however, are of special value today since there has been a growing interest for itheir contents in the linguistic and philosophical oircles.