Schönberg's library is one of the most comprehensive records of a composer's reception in the 20^th century. An annotated catalog of the books and periodicals in Schönberg's estate library has now been published in our publication series.

While early prints can still be traced back to the family's possession, Schönberg's collection continued to develop through acquisitions and donations until the last years of his life. The collection not only gives an idea of the interests of the creator of the collection, but also sheds light on his environment and networks. Arnold Schönberg's involvement with books is reflected in underlining and annotations, as well as in the meticulous cataloging of the holdings. The library becomes a historical, aesthetic and ideological panorama of its time.

In 2014, Julia Bungardt-Eckhart submitted her dissertation treatise, "The Library of Arnold Schönberg," to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. While the edition of extensive marginal notes will appear as part of the Critical Complete Edition of Arnold Schönberg's Writings, published by the International Schönberg Society, the catalog published here for the first time represents a revised version of the dissertation chapter "Annotated Catalog of Arnold Schönberg's Library." In addition to an introductory article on Arnold Schönberg's library and its origins, as well as on the composer's reading habits, there is a transcription of Schönberg's own handwritten library index, which represents an authentic record of the holdings, including printed music, between 1913 and 1918. The present catalog is limited to books and periodicals; the extensive holdings of musical materials from the composer's estate can be accessed via schoenberg.at.