Acknowledgements

It remains for me to express my deep gratitude to those who have contributed to the realization of the catalogue. At an early stage of its compilation, Piotr Sobkowiak (University of Bern) proofread it thoroughly and discovered some errors in the transcriptions that I had overlooked. Lhagvademchig Jadamba (National University of Mongolia) provided invaluable help in identifying some Tibetan ritual texts written in Mongolian transcription. Dorothea Heuschert-Laage (University of Bonn) was of great help in identifying the Manchu translation of a Chinese Confucian classic. I would like to thank Elio Pellin, Jan Stutzmann, Denis Maier and Mathias Stocker (University of Bern) for the technical implementation of the catalogue to meet the requirements of an electronic publication. Elio Pellin and Ulrike Bürger, the head of the Rare Manuscripts Department of the University Library of Bern, have been supporting the inclusion of the catalogue in the BOP series from the very beginning, for which I am very grateful. Petra Hanschke, Head of Conservation at the University Library, expertly managed the relocation of the collection from the Institute for the Science of Religion to the University Library. It is mainly thanks to her that the collection is now stored appropriately and that the religious aspects of its preservation are also considered in a respectful manner. And finally, Ekaterina Sobkovyak (University of Bern) has brought the entire catalogue into the form necessary for electronic publication. I would like to thank them all for their commitment and contribution to the success of this project. Any remaining errors are my sole responsibility.

The catalogue is dedicated to Magdalena Ernst, who has bequeathed this unique collection to the Institute for the Science of Religion and the University of Bern with rare generosity.

Bern, in the spring of 2025

Karénina Kollmar-Paulenz