In his book, Seibold presents 62 friendship albums that were kept over a period of around 250 years (mid-16th century to the beginning of the 19th century). With the help of these examples, an attempt is made to illustrate the regularities on which the practice of the studbook is based. This is reflected above all in an investigation of the network of relationships between the owners of the books and the people whom they have asked for dedications, up to an appreciation of the technical, material and organizational framework conditions. The transcripts were often supplemented by drawings, which were mostly made in gouache technique. Coats of arms, everyday events, allegorical and mythological elements are depicted here, which also makes the question of the performing artists virulent. This broadens the horizons of research into the studbook on the basis of new objects of experience, right up to a source analysis.