The Thesis offers for the first time in the history of Ukrainian Serbian Studies a complex analysis of the collection of Serbian publications in the funds of the Galician libraries of the late 18th – early 20th century. In particular, a book attribution, a bibliographic reconstruction of originals, a study of their penetration and existence in Galicia have been carried out. The Thesis research determines that the Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv State Scientific Library offers the biggest collection of such publications in Ukraine, due to the forming of its funds from numerous collections of monasteries (St. Basilian in Lviv and Krechow, Studite Brethren library), institutional libraries (Ossolineum, Narodny Dim, Prosvita, Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society, Church Museum in Lviv) and private collections of prominent Galicians (A. Petrushevych, Y. Golovatskiy, I Sviencicky, O. Bar¬vinsky). Furthermore, a theoretical base [for the topical research beyond present Thesis] has been set up and an analysis of the respective historical bibliographic methodology has been accomplished. On the basis of the Serbian language and its literary traditions as well as based on the principle of the extraction of the object of the present Thesis from the historical funds of Galician scientific libraries, the theoretical and bibliographic terms 'Serbian Edition' 'Serbian Language' and 'Serbian Early Printed Book' have been defined and theoretically formalized. Historical conditions of the Serbian typography of the end of the 18 and beginning of the 20 centuries have been described and determined the main tendencies the development of the Serbian literature, education and science. A topical-typological analysis of Serbian editions Early Printed Books with a description of the repertoire peculiarities of these Editions has been carried out. The Thesis examines Serbian editions held in Galician libraries through the prism of literary styles, starting from the Age of Enlightenment (the second half of the 18 century till 1814), through the Romanticism (beg. 19 century – 1868), ending with the publications of the early Realism (end of 19 century – beg. 20 century). A detailed analysis has been dedicated to the scientific heritage of the outstanding scientist, ethnographer, historian and philologist V. Karadzich (1787–1864), and the famous scientific and public figure, S. Novakovich (1849–1915), whose creative and scientific activities essentially reproduce the main trends of subject studies in the periods of Romanticism and early Realism. Furthermore, the Thesis identifies and analyzes the significance of Serbian publications in literary culture in Galicia. Additionally, a reference list with the names of the individual owners of Galician Serbian books, descriptions of their personal libraries and interpersonal contacts has been created. Based on the manuscript heritage, archival sources, memoirs of scientists, public figures, clerics of Galicia (B. Kowalski, K. Blonsky, A. Petrushevych, J. Holovatsky, V. Kopytchak, I. Svencicky, O.Barvinsky), it was proved that Serbian books as part of personal libraries were not merely random phenomena, but accounted for an active reading segment of the intellectual elite between 18 and the beginning of the 20 centuries.
