Works of A. F. Pisemsky in the libraries of Siberia and the Far East in the pre-revolutionary period

Abstract

The study relevance is due to the anniversary of the writer (200th anniversary of his birth), the demand for his works among the residents of the Siberian-Far-Eastern region in the pre-revolutionary period, the importance of studying library funds to reconstruct the potential reading circle of the region's population. Due to the lack of comprehensive studies of library collections of pre-revolutionary libraries in Siberia and the Far East, this article first considers the presence of works by A. F. Pisemsky in the libraries of the region in the late XIX - early XX centuries. The article objective is to identify the writer’s works in the libraries of the Siberian-Far Eastern region during this period. Tasks are to: 1) reconstruct the repertoire of the works by A. F. Pisemsky in the libraries of the region in the pre-revolutionary period; 2) calculate quantitative indicators of their availability; 3) identify lifetime editions of the writer in library collections. The author applies the comparative analysis, statistical, chronological, source-based methods. Information is given from 34 catalogs of pre-revolutionary libraries of Siberia. They reflect the funds of 24 libraries located in 4 provincial, 5 regional and 4 county centers of the region. The libraries of municipal public and local commercial and public meetings prevail among them, chosen as the most open and, thereby, most accessible for readers. For the first time, quantitative indicators of the presence of the works of A. F. Pisemsky in Siberian and Far Eastern libraries in the pre-revolutionary period were calculated and analyzed. The study results show that many of them had works by the writer during the period under review. Their funds included most of the famous works of this author. The most frequently found publications have been identified, as well as publishers whose products were presented in the libraries of the region. The revealed data allow reconstructing partly library collections and the potential repertoire of reading of Siberian and Far Eastern residents in the late XIX – early XX centuries, clarifying and supplying the picture of library business in the region in the pre-revolutionary period.