Gdańskie książki adresowe w latach 1793–1807

This paper discusses the first Gdańsk address books published by Ferdinand Troschel in the period between the Second Partition of Poland and the establishment of the Napoleonic Free City of Gdańsk. During this period, the books were issued in 1796, 1797, and 1800. Their publication was based on the privilege the Prussian King Frederick William II issued on 16 May 1795. The address books covered the area of the city of Gdańsk, the United City of Chełm and their nearest environs. Not only information from address books, but also notifications of their sale and press advertisements concerning their publisher were used in this article. Apart from typical personal and topographic information, the address books provide a lot of interesting details on the public life of the time and the functioning of offices, which have not survived in any other sources available today.