INTRODUCTION

The exhibition showcases the significant collection of Asia Minor editions, manuscripts, and documents of the Gennadius Library from 1764 to 1922, focusing on the geographical dispersion of Greek printing houses in Smyrna (Izmir), where the «Smyrnaean Bibliography» records more than 2,000 editions, as well as in Kydonies (Ayvalik) and Trebizond (Trabzon). The book, as a cultural good, is directly related to the education, culture, as well as the political and religious activities of the Greek Orthodox population of Asia Minor.

The multiculturalism of the region and the people of Asia Minor come to life through maps, 19th-century books of history and geography, rare karamanli and francochiot editions, as well as dictionaries, while recent acquisitions of historical testimonials complete the panorama.

School textbooks and publications of the schools of Kydonies and Smyrna document multiple educational activities. Liturgical and theological editions testify to the intense religious activity of the Greek Orthodox populations of Asia Minor, while a wide range of novels and theatrical plays indicate a strong literary interest in the region.

The rich material concerning the moralizing and other edification of women, as well as the periodical press of the time that show the evolution of the social position of women and the path to modernity, constitute a separate section in the exhibition.