Antique book. Book bindings to order Description and analysis of samples of publishing and owner binding of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Determining the characteristics of the products of different bookbinding establishments. Books with ex-librises, super ex-librises, proprietary
Description and analysis of samples of publishing and owner's binding of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Determining the characteristics of the products of different bookbinding establishments. Books with bookplates, super-exlibris, owner's seals and dedicatory inscriptions.
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Publisher's and owner's book binding of the 19th - early 20th centuries: history and features of production (on the example of publications from the fund of the department of rare and valuable books of the National Library of OSU)
Shevchenko I.B.
Orenburg State University, Orenburg
Recently, attention to the problems of the history and art of Russian books, including the issues of binding design, has increased in connection with the deployment of the subprogram "Book Monuments of the Russian Federation" within the framework of the federal target program "Culture of Russia", a participant of which is the university's scientific library.
In addition, the need to study the history of bookbinding of the stated period is dictated not only by the development of theoretical ideas about the book, but also by the practical goals of attributing and evaluating a particular copy. Since the appearance and safety of the book affect its value. The condition and safety of the binding, the materials from which it is made, not only help to attribute the publication, but also play an important role in the acquisition of a rare book.
In the scientific library of the Orenburg state university The fund of rare books is about 5,000 copies. It is important to note that all rare editions of the university library are reflected in the reference apparatus. scientific library are available to readers. The department adopted a collection arrangement of books. This allows systematic, detailed work with single copies, not only as part of collections, but also separately from them, which makes it possible to get a more complete picture of the collection significance, safety, and physical condition of the publications stored in the fund.
One of the most voluminous collections kept in the fund of the scientific library is the book collection donated by the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature. M. I. Rudomino in 2005.
The composition of this book collection is very multifaceted and can be represented as follows:
a) by type of publications: books: monographs, textbooks, manuals, brochures;
b) by language: in all Western European languages;
d) by subject: literary criticism, linguistics, philology, history, political science, sociology, fiction,
e) according to the chronology of the 19th - early 20th centuries
f) books with ex-librises, super ex-librises, owner's seals and dedicatory inscriptions.
A fairly voluminous part of this collection is made up of rare copies of publications from the funds of domestic and foreign libraries of various types and types. The presence of such publications, their appearance made it possible to conduct a small study entitled "Publishing and owner's book binding of the 19th - early 20th century: history and manufacturing features."
The purpose of the study is to recreate the history of publishing and individual binding in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, the process of its manufacture and to identify its features in the Russian book business system of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Based on the goal, the following research objectives are formulated:
1. Search for information about craftsmen and workshops that made individual binding in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
2. Identification, description and analysis of samples of publishing and owner's binding of the late XIX - early XX centuries. in the fund of the scientific library of the university
3. Determination of the characteristics of the products of different bookbinding establishments in the late XIX - early XX centuries. and preferences of owners of book collections and customers of individual binding.
The object of the study is the publishing and owner's individual binding of the late 19th - early 20th century from the fund of the department of rare and valuable books.
The subject of the study is the features of the external appearance and internal structure of the publisher's and owner's binding. The study identified publications published by the most famous Russian and European book publishers
Publisher's binding is a binding made simultaneously with the entire publication. It is, as a rule, uniformly designed for the entire edition or part of the edition of the book.
In contrast, the owner's (piece or individual) binding is made individually, by order of the buyer or owner of the book, it is different for each copy of a particular publication.
The chronological framework of the study covers the period from the end of the 19th century to the end of the 19th century. up to 1917 inclusive. The choice of this time interval is associated with a number of reasons. In the 1870s - 1880s. qualitative changes are taking place in the book business: the improvement of printing production, the formation of large private publishing houses, their specialization, the expansion of the publishing repertoire, and the attraction of new strata of buyers. All this leads to significant changes in the appearance of the book, the acceleration of its production and reduction in price, which contributes to rapid development publisher's binding. Bookbinding factories open, their owners begin to mark bindings with a special stamp indicating the manufacturer - a paper label and embossed on the covers. But along with publishing binding, individual binding continues to exist. During this period, interest in a beautifully designed book, in its material form, is growing, not only among bibliophiles, whose circle is expanding, but also in society as a whole. Publishing houses appeared, specializing in the production of bibliophile publications, which assumed the subsequent replacement of the cover with artistic individual binding. Manufacturers of individual bindings are also beginning to more consistently label their products, which makes it possible to distinguish Moscow bindings of this period from the mass of similar individual bindings.
The year 1917 became the boundary of the chronological framework of the research, which is associated with a change in ownership and social upheavals, the production of individual binding is slowing down, the composition of customers is changing, and many workshops cease to exist.
The publications under study were identified by browsing on the shelves. In this way, 2,501 specimens were studied. Of this number of books viewed, 75% of publications have a publisher's binding; library binding (obtained by books due to the lack of binding or its dilapidation in the process of being used in the library); individual binding with hallmarks of different cities.
The study also considered individual bindings without hallmarks, since theoretically each of these bindings could have been made in a bookbinding shop. It should be emphasized here that in this case the place of manufacture of individual binding is most often associated not with the place of publication of the book, but with the place of its purchase, and thus - indirectly - with the place of residence of the owner of the library.
An analysis of publications on the research topic allows us to conclude that until the end of the 18th century - the time when publishing binding appeared in Russia - virtually all book bindings were, to one degree or another, individual, piece, owner-made.
The first bindings of a relatively mass character, uniformly and simply designed, can be considered bindings of books published at the Moscow Printing Yard at the end of the 16th-17th centuries and intended for sale .. Starting from the second half of the 18th century, the bindings of all Russian books can already be clearly divided into two large groups: publishing and ownership.
It is important that the fundamental differences between them were by no means in the binding materials, which practically almost did not differ from each other, with the exception of morocco and expensive types of fabrics, which for a long historical development were used exclusively for the manufacture of owner's bindings, but in the approach to the most intended purpose. binding, in the nature and method of its decoration. For example, if in the design of publishing bindings, artists sought to reflect the content of the book, often placing a plot picture on the top cover of the binding, then individual owner's bindings were solved almost exclusively in terms of decorative and decorative terms, applications, mosaics from multi-colored pieces of leather, and leather carving were widely used in them. , rich gold embossing, especially on the spine (which, unlike the flat and even spine of the publisher's binding, remained bandaged), etc.
A characteristic element of the design of the owner's bindings was the superex libris. In addition, the initials of the owner of the book were sometimes embossed in gold at the bottom of the spine. The value of the owner's binding is largely determined by the skill of the binder.
Unfortunately, in the history of Russian bookbinding, there are not many names of the creators of unique bindings. In Russia, unlike European countries, it was not customary to leave the brand of its author and performer on the binding. Only in the second half of the 19th century, due to the intensive development of Russian book business, and a sharp increase in the number of books produced, as well as the widespread development of mass publishing binding, the situation changes: owner bindings become "signed". The most famous craftsmen for the manufacture of individual owner's bindings at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries were E. Ro (Row), V. Nilson, Meyer, A. Schnel (the official supplier of the court of His Imperial Majesty, the most expensive bookbinder in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century), A. D. Peterson in St. Petersburg. In the fund of the ORCC, publications with the stamp of A. Petzman were found.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, publisher's bindings often differed from each other within the same edition of the publication. This was due to the fact that many books during this period came out of print in a cover, and then, at the request of the customer, were enclosed in one or another binding. This form of relationship with customers, for example, was actively used by the publisher A.F. Marx (the publication was found in the ORCC fund) when sending free supplements to the Niva magazine to subscribers.
In the process of research, bindings with hallmarks of 20 Moscow, St. Petersburg and foreign craft bookbinding workshops and factories were found in the library. Most of these samples have the hallmarks of T. I. Hagen and A. P. Petzman, Marx bookbinding establishments, which once again confirms their popularity among potential customers of individual bindings, the wide distribution of products (bindings belong to libraries of different owners), and the scope of production. The presence of a significant number of “improved” and, most importantly, “luxurious” bindings in the composition of the products of these workshops indicates a high level of work.
Among other bookbinding establishments that produced class II and I class bindings, including those fulfilling orders for tray copies for members of the imperial house, are the workshops of A. Papkova, A. Petsman, N. Tatushin, the Greenberg firm, as well as the bookbinding shops of N. I. Kumanin and I. N. Kushnereva (identified in the ORCC fund).
The study made it possible to recreate the history of book binding (publishing and individual) of the 19th - early 20th centuries, the process of its manufacture and to identify its features. On the example of samples stored in the library fund, identify, describe and analyze samples of book bindings, determine their individual characteristics. The material obtained in the course of the study on the manufacture of book bindings can be used as additional information when studying the Special Course on the "History of the book business", conducting seminars on book culture, and designing thematic book exhibitions.
Thus, we can conclude that the publications that make up the fund of the department of rare and valuable books of the scientific library are valuable historical sources that contribute to the motivation to study them. The conducted research allowed:
1. Open the fund of the department of rare and valuable books of the scientific library of the university.
2. Introduce into scientific and cultural circulation information about the bindings of publications presented in the fund of the department.
3. Provide a scientific description of bindings that meets international standards and allows identifying and tracing trends in the development of book culture.
4. When annotating rare editions, describe each element of the binding (pay special attention to the artistic side of the binding)
4.1 Specify information about the binder and the place where the binding was made.
4.2 Specify information about the copy (tray, bibliophile, etc.)
4.3 Specify information about the owner of the book.
The information obtained in the course of the study was included in the National Program "Preservation of Library Collections of the Russian Federation" (2001), the purpose of which is to recreate the repertoire of book monuments, unify the activities of identifying, recording, describing, storing and using book monuments, coordinating the activities of libraries, archives, museums in the main areas of work with book monuments.
book bookbinding publishing bookbinding
Bibliography
1. Adaryukov, V. Ya. In the world of books and engravings [Text]: memoirs: fax. play ed. 1926 / V. Ya. Adaryukov; State. acad. artistic Sciences. - M.: Book, 1984. - 60 p.
2. Zolotova, M. B. Book bindings of Moscow workshops of the late 19th - early 20th century: (from the collection of the Rumyantsev Museum) / Maria Borisovna Zolotova // Library Science, 2006. - N 6. - P. 67-70.
3. Zolotova, M. B. Moscow individual book binding of the late XIX - early XX century: diss. cand. ist. Sciences. 05.25.03 / M. B. Zolotova. - M., 2006. - 201 p.
4. Zolotova, M. B. Binding workshops in St. Petersburg and Moscow at social support societies in the 19th - early 20th centuries. / Zolotova M. B. // Rumyantsev Readings: Proceedings of the International Conference (April 5-7, 2005): Abstracts. and message - M., 2005. - S. 88-93.
5. Zolotova, M. B. Bindings of the workshops of T. I. Hagen and A. P. Petsman in the collection of the Russian State Library / Zolotova M. B. // Book in the space of culture: Scientific and practical collection: Supplement to the journal "Library Science" . - M., 2006. - Issue. 12). - S. 66 - 70.
6. Zolotova, M. B. Handicraft bookbinding in Moscow in the late XIX - early XX centuries. / Zolotova M. B. // Book in the space of culture: Scientific and practical collection: Supplement to the journal "Library Science". - M., 2005. - Issue. 1. - S. 66 - 72.
7. Zolotova, M. B. Russian individual art binding of the 19th - early 20th centuries. / Zolotova M. B. // Antiques: Art and Collectibles. - No. 4 (26). - 2005. - S. 116-125.
8. Igoshev, V. V. Typology of the Novgorod silver frames of the Gospels of the 16th century / Valery Viktorovich Igoshev // Library Science, 2007. - N 3. - P. 56-63. - Ill.: 6 ph. - Note: p. 62. - Bibliography: p. 62-63.
9. History of the book [Text] / ed. A. A. Govorova, T. G. Kupriyanova. - M. Svetoton, 2001. - 400 p.
10. Pavlov, I.P. Manual binding [Text]: pract. allowance / I. P. Pavlov. - M.: Higher. school, 1993. - 160 p.
11. Polonskaya, I. M. Russian publishing cover and binding of the 18th century. // Book. Research and materials. - 1979. - p. 152-161.
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Imperial and grand ducal libraries in Russia.
In his wonderful monograph "A Book in the Romanov Family" (Moscow, 2000), Valery Aleksandrovich Durov writes:
What priceless treasures are hidden in the book depositories of the main library of the country? This time they open the world of books, manuscripts, documents to us from a slightly different side - we are included in the intellectual atmosphere of the family. True, the families are unusual, bearing a simple and at the same time one of the most famous Russian surnames. For three centuries they were inseparable from each other - the reigning house of the Romanovs and Russia, which, it seems, experienced the entire - heroic, dramatic, tragic - palette of history, rising to the level of the world's largest powers. Alas, the formidable paradoxes (or logic) of history were not long in manifesting themselves here too - torn out by the first Romanov autocrats from the turmoil of the early 17th century, the country found itself immersed in such faults and cataclysms of the 20th century, which led both to the end of the great empire, and to death or dispersion across the world of the last representatives of the reigning family. The connection of times has broken. A one-dimensional and therefore distorted image of the past entered our consciousness for a long time. And only in recent years has finally prevailed the desire to get rid of stereotypes. The eyes of millions turned to the Romanovs.
There are many reasons for this. And first of all - the desire to understand history in its entirety. But heightened, often emotional interest was caused both by the tragic death, and by the proposal to canonize the royal new martyrs, and by the publication a large number previously inaccessible documents, and a multitude of myths and legends that accompanied this family, in many respects (secret, personal) closed from external curiosity by etiquette, traditions, position. The poet Nikolai Rubtsov defined the tragedy of passing knowledge, the irreplaceable loss with one bright line - "the orphan meaning of family photographs." And this largely explains the desire to delve deeper into the moral, spiritual world of these people, the structure of their thoughts, feelings, relationships. So that history does not become an orphan. As you know, one of the main ways of knowing both the outer and inner worlds is through Her Majesty the Book. “Eat well, brethren, book reverence,” reads the first phrase of the “Izbornik” of 1076. Until recently, only “narrow” specialists knew how extensive, multidimensional, and systematic the communication of the imperial family with the book was.
Libraries were collected by all members of the family in accordance with their passions and range of interests. By 1917, as sources testify, there were 12 (!) Only "His Imperial Majesty's Own Libraries" on the territory of the Winter and other imperial palaces. Noteworthy and symbolic is the fact of inheritance, according to the rules of the Royal House, not only of the crown (a symbol of state power), but also of the book collection (a symbol of intellectual power). The replenishment of the imperial libraries was elevated to the rank of a state task and was carried out for domestic literature at the expense of legal deposit, for foreign literature - through the efforts of Russian consuls general in France, Germany, England, Italy, and Spain. Hundreds, thousands of books were donated by their owners to the newly created Russian museums, libraries, and other public institutions. The dedication by the library staff and sponsors of this publication to the Romanovs is also a tribute of grateful memory to those who stood at the origins of the country's main book depository. The library was established by the decision of His Imperial Majesty. The opening ceremony of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museum on July 1, 1862 was attended by Emperor Alexander II and all members of the royal family. The taste and knowledge with which, contrary to popular belief, the Romanov family libraries were formed, we can today judge from the collection of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I. This collection, donated by her sons to the newly created Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museum, is striking not only richness and variety of external design of books, but also the integrity and harmony of their selection. Yes, the library was completed under the supervision of the poet V. A. Zhukovsky, the educator of the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II. But this circumstance testifies only in favor of the owner of the library, especially since her personal investments - herbariums, notebooks, albums - not only did not destroy the integrity of the collection, but also introduced into it a certain special, lyrical, sincere element. Unfortunately, the fate of many libraries turned out to be as tragic as the fate of their owners. Confiscated during the two Russian revolutions of 1917, they were scattered and dispersed. Some of the books from the library have been preserved in state depositories, including the Rumyantsev Library, but a significant part of them ended up abroad, mainly in the United States. Suffice it to recall the confession of one of the American book buying agents, I. Perlstein, that he bought books in Russia by the “yard”, “which had a certain price for folios, a lower price for in-quarto books, even less for in-oktavo and, of course, a very small price for books in- duodecimo". As a result, the New York collection of books, albums, photographs of the Romanov dynasty is one of the largest abroad. This was eloquently evidenced by the recent large-scale exhibition “The Romanovs. Their empire. Their books.
The Russian State Library now has two complete book collections - the library of Alexandra Feodorovna mentioned above and the collection (alas, incomplete) of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. During the 1920s and 1930s, the fund received a significant number of books from the personal libraries of the Romanov dynasty. Unfortunately, history decreed that most of them were placed not in compact arrays, but purposefully (perhaps in order to preserve them) they were scattered over multimillion-dollar funds in tiny islands, sometimes two or four books on a shelf. The library also keeps manuscript collections, including a collection of materials from the palace libraries, a collection of autographs of Peter the Great, etc. Nothing can more eloquently tell about a person, the sphere of his spiritual interests, likes and dislikes, like a circle of read, collected, carefully stored books.
In the circle of their libraries, the Romanovs appear before us both as the rulers of the state and as its ordinary citizens, reading Tolstoy, Chekhov, Kuprin, Dickens, Walter Scott and other writers we love. This knowledge introduces us to the history of Russia, brings long-gone people closer to us, makes it possible to fully realize ourselves as compatriots, people of a single culture. It's time to collect the stones. It's time for a reunion - if not physical then documentary - of valuable gatherings. And the library specialists have been looking for books of the Romanov Family in their funds for a long time. This is a constructive, creative process, the process of merging the broken chain of times - in the name of our spiritual stability, in the name of the coming change, its ability to feel like an active part of a single universe.
The first ruler of the Old Russian state, who had his own library, should, apparently, be considered the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, who, according to the chronicle, "diligently read and read books often both night and day." From 1037, he began to collect manuscripts in Sofia of Kyiv, mainly of Greek-Latin origin, and ordered their translation into Russian: “... sobr scribes multiply and convert from Greek to Slovenian writing.” Many Russian princes later continued the activities of Yaroslav Vladimirovich in collecting wisdom, embodied in the words of their ancestors. Some of the rulers, such as Vladimir Monomakh, who left us his famous Teaching, became writers themselves. Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III invited in 1518 to Moscow a famous publicist in the Christian world, a connoisseur of manuscripts, Maxim Grek, to put his manuscript collection in order. A story has come down to us about the impression that the Grand Duke's library made on the guest: “This monk (Maxim the Greek.) ... was surprised at the so many countless industrious collections and with an oath speech before the pious sovereign, as if there were so many books in Greek be able to see." In 1565-1566. Ivan the Terrible showed his library to pastor Johann Vetterman, who was delighted with the royal assembly. At the same time, manuscripts (of which there were up to eight hundred) were brought from deep stone cellars, where they were stored along with treasures. But, probably, this did not save the library from destruction, most likely as a result of numerous fires or during the Troubles of the early 17th century, when even the royal mansions in the Kremlin stood without windows and doors, destroyed and looted. The first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, had no more than two dozen books in 1634, including three printed ones. By 1642, the same number had been added to them. Such scarcity was a consequence of the devastation that reigned during the Time of Troubles, which had to be overcome for decades. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who replaced Mikhail Fedorovich on the throne, could already be proud of a relatively large collection. In addition, for the first time in Russian history, he begins to form a special library for the eldest son, the intended heir, who died early, at the age of fifteen, Alexei Alekseevich. The documents mention more than 200 books in foreign languages only. Some of the books were kept by the young prince "in the mansions", that is, for his personal use. By the spring of 1914, in the libraries of His Imperial Majesty, that is, in the collections of books and manuscripts that belonged to Nicholas II (not counting publications stored in the libraries of numerous relatives royal family), as well as in the Livadia Palace and on the imperial yacht Shtandart, there were 69,892 volumes (37,182 titles). The history of the formation of the Own Libraries has more than 200 years. Intensive and purposeful collection of books and manuscripts, especially secular content, began in the Petrine era. Being the first Russian tsar to travel outside the Fatherland, Peter I brought numerous publications from abroad, mostly of scientific content. In these acquisitions he was assisted by Johann Daniel Schumacher, who in 1715 became the first official librarian in Russia. In 1721-1722. I.D. Schumacher was sent on a business trip abroad, and one of the many points in the instructions he received was: "Try to provide a complete library for Your Imperial Majesty." Of course, no one sold him a "complete" library, but on this trip Schumacher "bought a fair number of books, but sometimes they are only the most necessary essence that a public library should have."
Peter bought books in Russia itself, sometimes in entire libraries. So, he acquired the book collections of the life physician R.K. Areskin, the famous figure of the first quarter of the 18th century P.P. Shafirov and others. Peter also forms a special library for his son Alexei, in which, along with others, there were 82 "Fryazhsky books for his state science." In total, the library of Alexei Petrovich consisted of 265 volumes. Peter's sister, Princess Natalya Alekseevna, also had a book collection. These books, after the death of Natalia (1716) and Alexei (1718), ended up in the Academy of Sciences, as subsequently did most of the collection of Peter I himself.
Without exception, all subsequent Russian emperors and empresses also had their own libraries. In the XVIII century. Catherine II was especially successful in this. She began to form a book collection immediately after ascending the throne in 1762. At the same time, books were selected for the library of her heir, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. In July 1762, State Councilor Johann Kaspar Taubert became the first librarian of Catherine II, his assistant was court councilor Alexei Konstantinov, son-in-law of M.V. Lomonosov.
Catherine II bought several libraries from the famous French encyclopedist educators: Voltaire (6800 volumes), D "Alembert, Diderot (3 thousand volumes), the famous geographer Büsching, as well as a significant number of books (13 thousand volumes) from the Berlin booksellers Nikolai and Zimmerman. In 1791, she acquired a huge library for Russia at that time in 5 thousand volumes of the well-known Russian historian Prince M. M. Shcherbatov, who had died a year earlier.
However, the vast majority of the imperial book collections of the XVIII century. did not become part of the future Private Libraries of the Romanovs: almost all the publications that belonged to Peter I, Princess Natalya and Tsarevich Alexei were transferred to the Academy of Sciences, and the relatively small collections of Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth Petrovna and Peter III, stored in the Hermitage, with the death of their owners became be considered property Russian Empire. Transferred her home library here and Catherine II. The history of the creation of one of the sections of the Hermitage Library is curious. Once Catherine II, walking through the Hermitage halls, saw a young footman on duty reading a book. She praised the embarrassed young man for using time for a good job and ordered the establishment of a special Russian library for court attendants on duty. This library was kept as part of the Hermitage as a separate collection at least until the autumn of 1917. The library of Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich, collected for him by Catherine II, passed according to his will to his second son, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich.
Emperor Paul also collected libraries in the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Winter Palace, and especially a significant one in Gatchina (40,000 volumes). By the autumn of 1837, by order of Nicholas I personal books Paul were concentrated in the Winter Palace, where the collection of Catherine II was already located and placed there in 1814. Emperor Alexander I personal library. Here, this huge accumulation of books by three royal persons was waiting for a place to be prepared for them in the Hermitage Library. But the terrible fire that happened in December of the same year destroyed almost the entire Winter Palace, and with it the libraries of Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I that were temporarily located there. In this regard, books from the libraries of these three reigning persons are very, very rare, as in state funds, and in the antique market. Bibliophiles of all times have always appreciated books with their super ex libris. Nevertheless, these books still pop up in the markets of Europe and North America, most often with the super ex libris of Emperor Paul I. These books were sold in the 20-30s for foreign currency in myriads by the Soviet government. Here is an example of a book from the library of Emperor Alexander I:Harmensen. Eloge historique de Chatherine II, imperatrice de toutes les Russies. Paris, I "imprimerie de P. Didot I" aine, 1804. Eulogy to Catherine II, Empress of All Russia. Paris, publishing house of P. Dido Sr. 54 p. In French. Bound in luxurious full leather. The coats of arms of Emperor Alexander I are embossed with gold on the lids. The endpapers are pink-red moire. Triple gold trim. 23.6x14.3 cm.
Magnificent is a tray copy to the Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna, wife of Alexander I, with her owner's super ex libris: Sicard Roger. The theory of signs for the training of the deaf and dumb. Paris, 1808. In 2 vols. Green morocco binding with the stamp of the Tsarskoye Selo Library. Theorie des signes pour l "instruction des sourds-muets suivie d" une notice sur l "enfance de Massieu. Paris, 1808. 2 volumes. Maroquin vert. Exemplaire relie au chiffre de la Tsarine Elisabeth Alexeievna, avec, aux faux-titres, l "estampille de la bibliotheque du palais de Tsarskoie-Selo pres de Saint-Petersbourg. The book is accompanied by a letter addressed to the Empress:
The books of Emperor Nicholas I and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna were hardly damaged during the fire of 1837.
In Nicholas time, the main libraries were located in the Hermitage, the Winter Museum (including numerous fashion magazines) and in the Anichkov Palace (military graphics). In the Cottage Palace in Peterhof (erected on the territory donated by Nicholas to his wife, called Alexandria), the library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (the Elder) was located, and in the Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palace, built by Pavel for his son and heir Alexander Pavlovich at the very end of the 18th century, there was a collection books of Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolaevich, the future Emperor Alexander II. In the same place, in Tsarskoye Selo, in His Imperial Majesty's Own Arsenal, founded in 1832, where ancient weapons, mainly Western European and Eastern, were stored, a library of books and graphics on the history of military art and weapons was created. In 1845, it was ordered to regularly send all publications related to legislation, including those published since 1830, to the libraries listed above, as well as to the book collections of Anichkov, Elaginsky and Gatchina palaces, which eventually amounted to many dozens huge volumes. The replenishment of the Own Libraries and foreign publications continued. In the 40s of the XIX century. the cost of buying foreign books averaged about 20,000 French francs annually. At this time, for the first time in the history of imperial libraries, persons of a non-imperial family were allowed to enter them - specialists in one or another field of science and art, of course, with highest resolution . The historian and statistician Ivan Ilyich Pushkarev was the first to get acquainted with the royal book collections in 1845 when writing the fundamental work “History of the Imperial Russian Guard”, unfortunately not completed due to the death of the author in 1848. Later, many well-known researchers worked here, such as as art historian A.I. Benois, Arabist I.Yu. Krachkovsky, military historians A.V. Viskovatov, N.F. Dubrovin, N.K. Schilder and others. Working conditions in the royal libraries for outsiders were very harsh. The duration of the classes of visitors (no more than one!) was limited by the time from 11 am to 3 pm. Materials were issued only on the topic approved by the Directorate of Libraries. All extracts made by the researcher were reviewed by the head and could be reduced and even completely prohibited for research. The visitor left his briefcase outside the library, and notebooks with notes made within its walls remained here until the end of his work on the chosen topic. It was possible to print the results of the research only in a publication agreed with the Directorate of Libraries, and always with a reference to the source's storage location. In 1861, a rich collection of books and manuscripts, numismatic and ethnographic collections, collected by Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, was transported from St. Petersburg to Moscow. After his death (1826), all these treasures were transferred in 1828 to the state. In Moscow, on the basis of the Rumyantsev collection, a museum was founded, which was called the Moscow Public Museum and the Rumyantsev Museum. This somewhat incongruous name at first glance emphasizes the fact that the Rumyantsev collection was the first museum in the history of Russia open to the public. After the death in 1860 of the widow of Nicholas I, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a significant part of her books (about 9 thousand units) was transferred to the Rumyantsev Museum, where a special room was allocated for their storage. A number of books from the collections of the Empress entered the Imperial Public Library. The main part of the collection of books, papers and small items that belonged to Nicholas I and partly to his wife was transferred from His Own Imperial Majesty's Palace (Anichkov) in October 1864 to the library of the Winter Palace. In the 60s of the XIX century. all imperial libraries were allocated to a special department, independent of the rest of the palace services, and a new permanent position appeared - the head of His Imperial Majesty's own libraries and arsenals. He was first appointed to this position in 1865. actual state councilor (rank corresponding to military rank Major General) E.A. Kemerer. In 1874 he was replaced by P.A. Moritz, who had an even higher rank - Privy Councilor (which corresponded to the rank of lieutenant general). From 1876 to 1884, the actual State Councilor A.I. Grimm. He was replaced by his son, also a real state councilor, RA. Grimm, who served in this position for the longest time - almost twenty years, until 1903. The next head of the Office of the Imperial Libraries (the arsenals were transferred to the Hermitage in 1880) was the chamberlain of the Court of His Imperial Majesty (this court rank corresponded to the ranks: military - general - lieutenant and civil - privy councilor) V.V. Shcheglov. The last curator of the royal libraries was the former deputy of Shcheglov, collegiate adviser (this rank corresponded to the rank of colonel in the army) V.V. Gelmersen, who held this post until 1918. There were several main sources of replenishment of the royal libraries: books bought at the Romanovs’ own expense at the personal choice of the tsar or his proxies within the empire and abroad, as well as official publications sent by government agencies and presented to the imperial family. Booksellers in Russia and abroad considered it a great honor to be suppliers of the Imperial Court. By the beginning of the reign of Emperor Alexander III, who ascended the throne after the death of his father, Alexander II, on March 1, 1881, at the hands of a terrorist, his father, Alexander II, the main library in the Department of Own Libraries remained His Imperial Majesty's Own Library in the Winter Palace, the basis of which was military publications, materials related to the history of the royal family, reports from various ministries and departments to Emperor Alexander II, as well as non-book materials (various things memorabilia for family members, and a collection of coins and medals).
The remaining books of this library were transferred from the Winter Palace to his son, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, according to the spiritual will of Alexander II. The Tsarskoye Selo library, located in the Alexander Palace, contained literature of a predominantly fictional nature, as well as illustrated publications, albums and engravings, which were used by the royal family during summer stay in Tsarskoye Selo. In 1881, the library in the Anichkov Palace was attached to the Department of Own Libraries, which until then had remained the personal, home library of Alexander II, and the following year, in 1882, a library was created in the Gatchina Palace, where Russian and foreign periodicals were collected. Under Alexander III, two processes simultaneously took place in the Own Libraries: on the one hand, the libraries continued to replenish, and even more abundantly than in previous reigns, and on the other hand, materials were transferred from them to various scientific and artistic societies and organizations in Russia, to where they, according to the emperor, could be more in demand.
So, in 1883, the Imperial Archaeographic Commission received materials related to the history of the Cimmerian Bosphorus, that is, the settlements of ancient times, located in ancient times on the shores of the Kerch Strait; in 1886 the Imperial Russian Historical Society receives all materials related to the biography of Nicholas I and the history of his reign. In 1894, the Hermitage (which by that time had largely become a public museum) received 75 of the rarest engravings by French artists of the 18th century. Under Nicholas II, the imperial book collections continue to grow even more intensively. The number of only periodicals, Russian and foreign, regularly received by libraries, amounted to more than 70 titles, for which up to 900 rubles were spent annually. In total, for example, in 1895, 4769 rubles 62 kopecks were spent on books, magazines and newspapers - a very significant amount for that time. The following year, 1896, in addition to the usual expenses, 16,000 rubles were issued for the purchase of a huge library of Prince A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who in the last year of his life held the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. The heirs of the prince, in addition, were paid another 1850 rubles for the cabinets that housed the library. A new genre in library collecting has also appeared - collections of newspaper and magazine clippings. In 1896, 13 volumes of clippings were purchased in Russian and French, dedicated to the memory of Alexander III, who died in 1894, and in 1910, already 53 volumes of clippings (12,000 sheets) relating to the theme of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904- 1905 The reverse process also continued - the transfer of books and other materials to libraries that did not belong to the royal family. Thus, doublets were regularly transferred to the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg (the future Public Library named after M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, now the Russian National Library). One-time gifts were also practiced - in 1893, for example, 2054 volumes were sent to the public library of Chita, and 42 engravings and 39 books to the library of the Imperial Tomsk University. Even a simple list of institutions that received gifts from the imperial libraries can give an idea of the scope of this activity. Here and institutions by Office fine arts , from the Imperial Academy of Arts to the Odessa and Kazan drawing schools, scientific and technical institutions and societies, museums ... The Suvorov Museum in St. Petersburg was given papers, maps, portraits and other items that belonged to the great commander and acquired from his granddaughter, of course at the expense of the personal funds of the Emperor. In 1907, the Pushkin Museum of the Imperial Alexander Lyceum was given a very rare edition of the first chapters of Eugene Onegin, which had previously been kept in the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. During the hostilities, special libraries were compiled to send books to infirmaries and hospitals to fill the forced leisure of the wounded with reading. And in 1911, a special library of 750 volumes was formed from doublets, intended for persons who were with the imperial family in Livadia. Already at the beginning of the XX century. temporary exhibitions of books and other materials dedicated to various events in the life of the imperial family or the whole country were organized in the imperial libraries. Not without incidents, as a result of which the royal libraries lost part of their treasures. Above, we have already talked about the grandiose fire of 1837 in the Winter Palace, which resulted in the destruction of the libraries of Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I. Exactly seventy years later, in 1907, a water pipe burst over the Own Imperial Chambers in the same Winter Palace, and books in 32 bookcases of the library of Nicholas II were damaged by water. Most of them managed to be saved, but still 65 volumes were lost forever; Fifty-five volumes that suffered significant damage, as well as 441 volumes and 11 portfolios of material that were less severely damaged, were restored and rebound. By 1917, the personal imperial libraries were a whole network of book depositories. The main of them, the largest and continuously replenished, was the personal library of Emperor Nicholas II, which amounted to 15,720 volumes (10,915 titles). It was located in the Private Chambers and the New Halls of the Winter Palace. The library was not only one of the largest in Russia, but also the richest in terms of variety of topics and level of equipment. The fourteen main sections of the library, which constantly received new items, were as follows: spiritual and moral literature; philosophical; historical; chronicle of the imperial family; military fiction; jurisprudence; natural science (separately - medical); literature on agriculture, industry, railway transport, art; reference department. Most of the book novelties somehow became known to Emperor Nicholas II. A special group consisted of new publications intended for almost every evening reading aloud in the family circle. Among these books was not only fiction. General A.A., who knew closely the inner life of the royal family. Mosolov, who for a decade and a half (1900-1916) was the head of the Chancellery of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, says in his memoirs: “Evening reading hours were especially observed. It is difficult to imagine anything that could make the empress agree to refuse even for one evening these readings in private by the fireplace. The tsar read masterfully and in many languages: in Russian, in English (their Majesties spoke and corresponded in it), in French, in Danish and even in German (the latter language was less known to the sovereign). The head of His Imperial Majesty's own library, Shcheglov, presented to the tsar every month at least twenty interesting books published during this period. In Tsarskoye Selo, these books were laid out in a room near the chambers of the Empress. I was somehow interested in the table where the books already chosen by Nicholas II for reading were lying, but the valet did not let me go to them:
His Majesty puts them in a certain order and does not like it if he does not find them exactly in the form in which he himself laid them out. And children are not ordered to be allowed into this room without the Empress and any of the ladies-in-waiting.
Among these books, the Sovereign chose for himself the one that he read to his wife: usually a historical essay or a Russian everyday novel. One day the tsar said to me: “In Tsarskoe Selo you are really afraid to enter the room where these books are laid out. You do not know which one to choose to take with you to the office. You look - and an hour of time is lost. Only in Livadia do I have time to read, but even then I have to hand over half of the books I took with me uncut. And he added with regret: “I haven’t given some of my memoirs to Shcheglov for more than a year: I already want to get to know them, but, apparently, I won’t have to.” Reading together was the main pleasure of the royal couple, who were looking for spiritual closeness and family comfort. The most common type of grand ducal binding is a 70% full-leather binding in dark green from expensive leathers with carat gold embossing and a blind on the covers (imperial superex libris) and spine (monogram under a small crown) with a triple gold edge. On endpapers, instead of expensive moiré, moiré coated paper was often used. The copy, as a rule, is printed on expensive thick paper, there is often a silk lace:
The library of the Tsesarevich, Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich, son of Nicholas II, was formed from duplicates of the main collection and books brought directly to the heir. This tradition has been preserved since 1859, when A.F. Grimm, the tutor of the early deceased Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich and his brothers, Grand Dukes Alexander and Vladimir (children of Emperor Alexander II), was commanded by the highest order not to acquire for the heir’s library books already in his father’s collection, for from now on the Tsarevich’s library is “a continuation of the library of His Imperial Majesty." When in 1908 the famous Russian scientist, archeographer and bibliographer, P.I. Bartenev, founder and publisher of the historical journal Russkiy Arkhiv, offered to purchase his fine library for the heir, Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich, an offer that was declined. The library that belonged to Emperor Alexander II, partly preserved in the Winter Palace, where it was called the "Old Library", partly in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, amounted to a total of 10,387 volumes (5646 titles) and was largely a memorial. Here, along with books and manuscripts, among which there were many very rare and interesting, pictorial materials were preserved, for example, 250 albums with watercolors by Orlovsky, Pryanishnikov, Sauerweid, Gau, Zichy and other famous artists. There were also various small things that belonged to Alexander II himself, his wife Maria Alexandrovna, as well as the poet V.A. Zhukovsky and other persons whose fate was to some extent connected with the life of the royal family.
The memorial library of Alexander III was kept in three places: the most significant collection - in the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg (9840 volumes, 5350 titles); about 900 volumes - in the Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palace (mainly publications on art and graphic materials) and a separate library, which contained only magazines, Russian and foreign (97 titles, 4637 copies), was located in the Gatchina Palace. In Gatchina, a relatively small collection that previously belonged to Paul I (1367 titles, 3676 volumes) was preserved. In addition to the libraries listed above, there were two more small royal libraries - one in the Livadia Palace, where from the end of 1911 publications related to the history and nature of the Crimea began to be selected (by 1914 there were up to 180 titles), as well as a modest library on the imperial yacht Shtandart, where books on maritime topics and travel descriptions were sent. Manuscripts constituted a special group of materials kept in the royal libraries. These were historical documents relating to the history of the ruling dynasty, letters from prominent figures - Russian and foreign, and other materials of a historical nature. The earliest of them belonged to the 16th century, the latest - to the time of the reign of Alexander II. In 1904, all the manuscripts from the royal libraries were collected in the Winter Palace, in a special room. The inventory of this collection consisted of 3358 numbers. So far, we have been talking about the book collections of the royal family itself. But in Russia there were dozens of the closest relatives of the emperor, who, for example, by 1917, there were up to 60 people. Most of them had their own libraries, sometimes not inferior to the royal collections in terms of the number of books. Grand-ducal libraries appeared in the second half of the 18th century, when Catherine, who had her own library, began to form a book collection for her son and heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich. In 1764, she bought the library of Baron I.A. Korf, numbering 30 thousand volumes and distinguished not only by the number of books, but also by their exceptional safety. Under the terms of the agreement, the library remained in his house until the death of the owner. In 1766, the baron died, and the entire collection was moved to Paul's house on Lugovaya-Millionnaya in St. Petersburg. Later, in 1783, Catherine II purchased another palace for Paul, Gatchina, where a significant part of the purchased library was transferred. Paul I, when he was still the heir, also had a library he had assembled himself, which his second wife, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, who passionately loved books, helped him to form. According to Paul's will, drawn up back in 1788, the house on Millionnaya, along with the library, passed to his second son, Konstantin, and the library in the Winter Palace to the eldest, Alexander, the future Emperor. After the death of his father, Grand Duke Konstantin turned out to be the owner of a huge collection of books, more precisely, three large libraries - the former Baron Korf, his own, which his grandmother, Catherine II, helped him collect, and another one, formed during Konstantin's stay in 1815-1830. in Poland, where he was appointed governor and commander-in-chief.
Konstantin was not a serious bibliophile and easily parted even with valuable copies of books from his library. So, in 1802, he donated 3,000 volumes to the Derpt (Yurievsky) University, which resumed its activities; to his teacher, a Greek by nationality, D.L. Kurute, he donated all the books related to Greece, including the Greek classics. A significant part of the library of Grand Duke Konstantin passed to his illegitimate son Pavel Konstantinovich, who received the nobility and surname Alexandrov in 1812, at the age of four, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general. In 1833, General Aleksandrov donated 24,000 volumes to the University of Helsingfors, which suffered from a severe fire in 1827. Pavel Konstantinovich kept about 10,000 more volumes in the Strelna Palace, which he received as a gift from his father in 1797. The fate of the Strelna collection turned out to be the saddest: during the revolution, part of the books perished, and the rest, in the amount of 5-6 thousand, were sold in one of the Petrograd markets in 1926 for a pittance, at the price of wrapping paper. Of the seven children of Emperor Nicholas I, at least six had their own libraries. But there is no information at our disposal about the books and ex-libris of the eldest daughter of Nicholas I, Maria Nikolaevna. The library belonged to her husband, Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg. We can judge about this by the ex-libris with his name. Of the eight children of Alexander II, all of his sons had libraries. The son of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the famous poet Konstantin Konstantinovich (KR), certainly had a library, but we do not know a single book from it, even the ex-libris is unknown. The poet's wife, Elizaveta Mavrikievna, and her sister, Vera Konstantinovna, had their own book collections. The RSL holds a large collection of musical publications that belonged to the wife of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich, Olga Feodorovna, as well as books by their children, Alexander and Sergei Mikhailovich. A big library was also with their younger brother, Nikolai Mikhailovich. In addition to a relatively large collection of books by Emperor Alexander III, there are books by his wife, Maria Feodorovna (nee Danish Princess Dagmara), mostly in Danish. Their children also had their own libraries - Nicholas (the future Emperor Nicholas II), George, Mikhail, Olga and Xenia. The wife of Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, and all five children had their own libraries. There were 264 imperial and grand ducal bookplates, according to the estimates of the researcher of book signs V. Khudolei (with variants), which belonged to 84 owners. Twenty-seven signs related to the royal and grand ducal libraries in general, without indicating a specific owner. The earliest bookplates in the RSL fund belonged to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (the Elder). One of the bookplates (surviving in two versions) is a square with vignettes at the corners. In the center, in a double oval, the monogram of the Empress: "AF". On the sides there are coats of arms: on the left is a double-headed Russian eagle, and on the right is a single-headed Prussian eagle, reminiscent of the fact that Alexandra Feodorovna was, before her marriage, Frederick-Louise-Charlotte-Wilhelmina, Princess of Prussia. This bookplate was intended for the library of the Empress in the Winter Palace. The second bookplate is a figurative shield of the so-called English form, in the center of which is a vertically standing sword, and around the blade is a wreath of roses.
This is the emblem of Alexandria - a palace and park ensemble on the territory of Peterhof, presented to Alexandra Feodorovna by her husband. The coat of arms was invented by the poet V.A. Zhukovsky, tutor of the eldest son and heir, Alexander Nikolaevich (the future Emperor Alexander II). An ex-libris with this coat of arms was pasted onto the books of Alexandra Feodorovna from the library at the dacha in Alexandria, the center of which was the small Cottage palace beloved by the Empress. The coat of arms of Alexandria is also depicted on the facade of the Cottage. The author of the bookplates for Alexandra Feodorovna was the famous Russian engraver N.I. Utkin (1780-1863), who created them in 1827. Most of the bookplates of members of the Romanov dynasty represent the monogram of the owner and the imperial crown above it. Such, for example, are the bookmarks of the Emperors Alexander II, Alexander III and their brothers and sisters. Only the ex-libris of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (1847-1909), son of Alexander II, does not have a crown, but its monogram consists of four letters interlaced with a cross, which are capital letters in the words placed there: “Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich”. The ex-libris of only one of the representatives of the Romanov dynasty, Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich (1861-1929), has an inscription not in Russian, but in English. The reason for this was not quite ordinary circumstances. The Grand Duke, the grandson of Nicholas I, without the permission of the Emperor, married in 1891 the granddaughter of A.S. Pushkin, Countess Sofya Nikolaevna Merenberg, daughter of Natalya Alexandrovna Pushkina-Dubelt-Merenberg and Nicholas Wilhelm, Prince of Nassau. Emperor Alexander III did not recognize this marriage, and the young, who were in Great Britain, remained there forever. Therefore, Mikhail Mikhailovich's bookplate was made in 1903 by the London engraver F. House, not in Russian, but in English. Expressive and successful, as an example of Art Nouveau in graphics, can be considered the ex-libris of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. The central place in it is occupied by the figure of a winged angel with a shield in his hands, called Norman in heraldry. The shield depicts a double-headed eagle with the imperial monogram "NI" on the chest. The combination of warm brown and cold steel-gray colors looks great, with a black eagle and a black inscription: “From the library of H.I.V. Book. Alexei Nikolaevich. The author of this ex-libris, made in 1914, was the curator of antiquities of the Hermitage, Baron A.E. Felkerzam, who left his signature in the form of the letter "F". In addition to nominal bookplates, bookmarks are also known with the name of only the location of the library - the Winter Palace, the Anichkov Palace, the palaces of the Novo-Mikhailovsky (so named in contrast to the Mikhailovsky, which became the Russian Museum), Gatchina, Marble, Pavlovsky, Strelninsky, Tsarskoye Selo libraries, libraries in Livadia. All of them, as a rule, contain only text, for example: "The Library of the Strelna Palace." The exception is two bookmarks. On one of them, in the form of an oval stamp, there is an inscription: "Gatchina Palace" - and a Maltese cross is depicted, reminiscent of the fact that Catherine II bought Gatchina for her son, Pavel Petrovich. The symbol of the reign of Paul I was the cross of the Order of Malta, briefly introduced by him into the domestic award system. The second bookplate belonged to Nicholas II. In the center is a black double-headed eagle placed on an oblique St. Andrew's cross, which, in turn, rests on a wreath of branches. On the chest of the eagle in a shield is the imperial monogram "NI", on the neck is the sign of the highest Russian award - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called on a chain. Below the eagle is an open book with a stylized inscription in Cyrillic: “His Majesty's Own Library. Winter Palace". The color basis here is shades of greenish color in combination with black. The author of this bookplate, dated 1907, is the aforementioned Baron A.E. Felkersam. Bookmarks were also made for the Emperor's libraries in Tsarskoe Selo and Livadia. In addition to "ex libris", in book science there is also such a thing as "super ex libris". This is, as a rule, the owner's monogram or coat of arms, usually placed on the top cover of the book's binding. The difference from a simple bookplate is that it is applied to the surface by embossing with gold or paint, or attached to the lid in the form of a metal (gold or silver) monogram or the owner's coat of arms. The first superex libris known to the author on books belonging to representatives of the Romanov dynasty is placed on the publication Description of the Coronation of Anna Ioannovna. On the lid, an oval wreath is embossed with gold, in which is placed the sign (cross) of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, placed on a double-headed eagle under the imperial crown. The owner of a book with such a super ex libris could not be anyone except the Empress Anna Ioannovna herself. Known are the super ex libris of Paul I, when he was still the heir to the throne, in the form of the French monogram "PP" (Pavel Petrovich) or simply "P", his sons Konstantin - "SR" and Alexander - "AR". The brothers' monograms are accompanied by another super ex libris depicting the Russian double-headed eagle. The superex libris is known only in the form of an eagle, without a monogram. Some researchers believe that this is a book mark of Catherine II herself. It is impossible not to note the tray specimens from the libraries Russian emperors. These are specially designed copies of books that were presented to emperors in connection with anniversaries, visits, memorable dates or significant events, as well as presented by the authors themselves in the hope of favor or attention.
Bindings of such copies were made, as a rule, by the largest masters of bookbinding in Russia and Europe from whole-cut high-grade leathers (morocco, shagreen, opokok, suede, laika) or expensive fabrics (velvet, brocade, satin), decorated with gold or blind embossing, inlaid, gold, silver or bronze overlays. The inner side of the binding covers was sealed with a wide fold or piping and doublyury.
A gold or colorful edge with gold or silver embossing was made. The original superex libris is present on the books of Princess Dagmara, the future wife of Alexander III, Empress Maria Feodorovna. This Latin "D" is the first letter of her name before she converted to Orthodoxy. There are her own books, but with the initial "M" (Maria) on the cover. Only very rich people could afford to have superex libris, to which, naturally, representatives of the Romanov dynasty also belonged. Most of the publications from their libraries are works of bookbinding, the authors of which were the best masters who worked in St. Petersburg and Moscow: P. Barash, I. Gaevsky, O. Kirchner, V. Nilson, A. Petersen, E. Ro, A Schnel and others. Among the tray copies there were many foreign books bound by Western European masters, such as the Austrian F. Papke, the Dutchman F. Rink, the masters from Germany X. Zenft, G. Vogt, the French E. Kryon, J. Canape , P. Ryuban and others. The best materials were used for book design: velvet, silk, various types of leather. Among specially processed skins, morocco leather was often used, the material for which is goat or sheep skins (the best morocco leather was made from the skin of an African goat). Laika bindings were made from the skins of lambs or goats. Bindings made of calf - the skin of a newborn (not older than a month) calf were considered exquisite. Known to everyone, at least by name, shagreen leather (more correctly, shagreen leather) - a specially processed skin of a donkey, less often a horse - was distinguished by relative rigidity and a characteristic texture. In special copies, on the inside of the covers of the book, as an additional decoration, the so-called doublures (from the French doublure - lining) made of silk or leather, duplicating the flyleaf, were pasted. Initially, they had only technological significance. When decorating the bindings, manual embossing was used, not only blind, giving an in-depth image, but also embossing, with a stamp and a counter-stamp, in which the image turned out to be embossed. Often, metal was used in the design of the binding - gold, silver, bronze, even platinum - as well as bone. Sometimes the bindings were decorated with multi-colored enamels. For bindings of publications on military subjects, genuine insignia, awards and military symbols were used - regimental breastplates, sashes, shoulder straps, etc. In gift copies, an important additional element of the book was a case in which the publication was brought to members of the imperial family. The book and the case were supposed to form a single whole in style. An outstanding craftsman was the bookbinder P.R. Barash, whose establishment was located on Bolshaya Dmitrovka in Moscow. And finally, a kind of work of art can be considered the best examples bookmarks for books - lace (from the French laisser, which has many meanings, including "leave" and "lay"), which are represented in significant numbers in the imperial collection.
Samples of books in the art of artistic binding of the 18th - 20th centuries from the imperial and grand-ducal libraries of the Romanov dynasty:
Table I: Books from the library of Emperor Nicholas II. Unbound editions were bound in the library in semi-leather bindings, the spine of which was decorated with a gold-embossed ex-libris - a geometric interlacing of the initials of the Emperor and the Empress, topped with a crown. An ex-libris was pasted onto the flyleaf, indicating where the book should be kept - in the Emperor's own chambers or in the New Halls of the Winter Palace. By the middle of 1914, the library of Nicholas II contained over 15,000 volumes. The meeting was divided into 14 thematic sections. Its composition was reflected in the alphabetical and systematic catalogs, as well as in the cabinet inventory. There were also file cabinets of portraits, watercolors, engravings, lithographs - up to and including book illustrations (see: Shcheglov V.V. His Imperial Majesty's Own Libraries and Arsenals. pp. 94, 98, 99):
Table II: A copy of the official report presented to Emperor Nicholas II on the festivities in his honor, held in Paris in October 1896. Black leather binding with deep double-light gold and platinum embossing. On the top cover - the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, on the bottom - the coat of arms of Paris. Gray moire doublure with a wide gold-embossed fold. Golden edge. The work of the Parisian bookbinder P. Ruban:
Table III: Bible (Kjebenhavn) of the Danish Princess Sophia-Frederika-Dagmara, later Empress Maria Feodorovna (wife of Alexander III). Ivory binding with carvings, inlays and applied chased metal ornaments. In the center of the top cover is the monogram of Princess Dagmara. Spine with metal shields covering captal. Blue satin dublure. Golden edge:
Table IV: Binding of a tray copy to Emperor Nicholas II of the work of priest Malov on the Kazan Bogoroditsky nunnery from the library of Emperor Nicholas II. The unique crimson velvet binding is embellished with gold embroidery, coloring appliqué and applied silver squares. On the top cover is the full coat of arms of the Russian Empire, on the bottom - the cypher of Emperor Nicholas II with pearls inserted into the crown. Golden edge:
Table V: Religious and philosophical works from the library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (the Younger). Traditionally, Russian books in the library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were bound in red morocco, French books in blue, German books in green, English books in purple, according to others, in blue. The binding was decorated with a gold-embossed rhomboid mesh passing from the top cover to the bottom, in the segments of which images of crosses of various shapes alternated in some editions with the initials of the Empress, in others - with the abbreviations "РХ" or "ХВ". The books were provided with a moiré doublore with a wide gold-embossed backing and a gold edge. In the texts there are numerous marks made by the Empress; the troparion "To the Martyr Empress Alexandra" was copied by her own hand. According to the memoirs of A.A. Vyrubova, there were several hundred volumes of religious and philosophical works in the library of the Empress, and it was constantly replenished. The Empress always knew about new books from newspapers and magazines”:
Table VI: Sacred Gospel (M., 1890) of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (the Younger). Blue velvet binding. On the top cover in a frame under glass is an image of Jesus Christ, made on white moire with silk embroidery, gold thread and coloring in the workshops of the Moscow Women's Resurrection Monastery. Yellow metal clasp (one missing). Golden edge:
Table VII: Tray copy of "Fables" I.A. Krylov from the library of Emperor Nicholas II. A two-volume small-format edition presented to Emperor Nicholas II by I. Goldberg, the founder of Russia's first printing press factory, in memory of the 1st All-Russian Exhibition of Printing in 1895. Soft leather bindings with a gold-embossed profile of I.A. Krylov and the cypher of Emperor Nicholas II were made by special order of the St. Petersburg bookbinding workshop of O. Kirchner. Gold trim with embossing and hand coloring. Cream moire doublure:
Table VIII: Editions of works by K.R. - Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich from the library of Emperor Nicholas II.
I. Two copies of the first collection of works by K.R. (St. Petersburg, 1886) - a publication that did not go on sale. One belonged to A.F. Grabbe (on the title page in the author's handwriting: "To the dear and esteemed Countess Alexandra Feodorovna Grabbe from a sincerely and sincerely devoted author. Konstantin. Jan. 20, 87"); the other - to Emperor Nicholas II (copy in blue morocco binding by St. Petersburg bookbinder E. Ro).
2. Nominal copy of Emperor Nicholas II of the translation by K.R. "Tragedies about Hamlet" by W. Shakespeare (St. Petersburg, 1899). For this translation, recognized by critics as one of the most accurate, K.R. received an order from the Danish royal house (see: L.P. Miller, Holy Martyr of Russia, Grand Duke Elizaveta Feodorovna. M 1995, p. 168). Konstantin Konstantinovich was an honorary member of the Society of Russian Fine Books.
Table IX: Doublura of a special copy of the Program of the Gala Performance at the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre. A copy of the Romanov family. A special numbered copy (No. 3) of the program of the solemn performance at the Bolshoi Theater (excerpts from M.I. Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar and the ballet The Charming Pearl) on May 17, 1896 on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The program was handed out at the entrance to all those invited to the performance (see: Coronation collection ... T. 1. SPb., 1899. P. 312). Doublure of light blue morocco and moire, decorated with gold-embossed cypher of Emperor Nicholas II and a diamond-shaped net with griffins (a griffin is a fantastic winged animal with a lion's body and an eagle's head is the central element of the Romanov family coat of arms). The work of the St. Petersburg bookbinder A. Shnel:
Table X: Books on the history of music from the library of Nicholas II. Two volumes of "The Life of Richard Wagner" by K. Glazenap (Leipzig, 1894-1899) bound in dark green flask with gold stamping by K. Senft and the Berlin edition of 1899 of "Musical Memoirs and Essays" by P. I. Tchaikovsky. According to the biographer, Emperor Nicholas II was very fond of Tchaikovsky's music and attended opera and ballet several times a week:
Table XI: Books on industrial and economic topics:
1. A critical analysis of the state of Russian industry, prepared by K. O. Chekh based on the materials of the national exhibition in 1882 in Moscow for the Ministry of Trade of Austria (M., 1885). A copy from the library of the Anichkov Palace. Dark red velvet binding with gold embossing and embossed gilded metal corners. Golden edge.
2. A tray copy to Emperor Alexander III of materials on the scientific and industrial exhibition organized in Kazan in 1890 to get acquainted with the nature, history and national economy of the Volga-Kama region and the East of Russia, as well as in order to encourage local production and bring producers of the region closer to consumers in the east and vice versa. Blue velvet binding with silver embossing. A copy from the library of the Anichkov Palace.
3. "Lectures on the national economy, 1900-1901" from the library of Emperor Nicholas II: 33 unbound brochures in a dark green leather case in the form of a book. Sides imitating cut are pasted over with gold paper, yellow metal clasp. Case made by the most expensive bookbinder in St. Petersburg A.A. Schnel.
Table XII: The gospel presented to Emperor Nicholas I on the day of the coronation and invested by Nikolai Pavlovich in the Life Guards Transfiguration Cathedral. Kyiv, 1746; salary - Moscow, around 1826 Silver, gilding, enamel, copper, rhinestones, board, paper; casting, chasing, gilding:
Table XIII: Old Russian handwritten books of the XV-XVIII centuries. from the library of Emperor Nicholas II. The small-format Four Gospels of the 15th century, as well as "Domostroy" and a collection of moralizing stories "Tales from the Great Mirror" (with 599 miniatures) of the 18th century. - handwritten books presented to Emperor Nicholas II by the historian E.V. Barsov. “The Wanderer’s Prayer Book”, containing two works: “The Chin, as it is fitting to sing two ten psalms” and “The Akathist to the Mother of God”, with an enclosed note: “A collection of pilgrimage prayers, written on canvas in the 18th century. The only manuscript on canvas in Russia. Acquired from the Secretary of the Society of Russian History and Antiquities, Acting State Councilor Barsov in 1894. Currently, only one more book written on canvas is known. Large format Four Gospels of the 15th century. bound from patterned canvas with a metal headpiece (centre with the image of the evangelists, the Crucifixion with the upcoming ones, squares). Presented to Emperor Nicholas II in 1908 by the Chairman of the Orthodox Palestinian Society, Prince Alexei Alexandrovich Shirinsky-Shakhmatov:
Table XIV: Books on Pedagogy:
1. Tray copy to Emperor Nicholas II of the book by M.M. Zakharchenko about the 50-year activity of the pedagogical classes established in 1848 in St. Petersburg at the Alexander School - the first higher professional women's educational institution in Russia (St. Petersburg, 1898). Combined binding made of dark blue and gray satin by the St. Petersburg binder V. Nilson.
2. The essay of E. Demolin about the school he organized in France with new methods of teaching and educating children to love work, a sense of responsibility for their actions, respect for a person, dignity, self-control, energy and endurance (Paris, 1899). A copy from the library of A.N. Kuropatkin. On the cover in ink: “This book was read by the Sovereign Emperor [Nicholas II] and handed over to me in November 1899. 18 6/p99. G.-l. Kuropatkin. Demolin later presented the Emperor with a reprint of his book.
Table XV: Study of Emperor Nicholas I in the Winter Palace. Lithograph with watercolor coloring from the original by K.A. Ukhtomsky. 1855 Service record of Nicholas I (in a case): leather, paper, embossing, wood, glass, metal, gilding:
Table XVI: Ceremonies of marriages of members of the imperial family. Copies of the marriage ceremonials of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (future Emperor Alexander III) with Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna (October 28, 1866) and Emperor Nicholas II with Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna (November 14, 1894) from the library of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace and the library of the Emperor Nicholas II. Ceremonials are a special type of publications that describe the procedure for performing ceremonies established for a particular solemn occasion: baptism, taking an oath, wedding, crowning, etc., as well as containing a list of persons participating in them, their duties, dress code, arrival time. The texts of the ceremonials, as a rule, printed in parallel in Russian and French, were enclosed in red (with the exception of burial ceremonials) morocco or calico folders, decorated with gold embossing. According to the ceremony of marriage of Nicholas II with Alexandra Fedorovna: “Today, the high-ranking bride of the Sovereign Emperor has a crown on her head and, over the dress, a golden brocade mantle lined with ermine fur, with a long train, which will be carried by four second ranks of the highest court, and the end of it chief chamberlain":
Table XVII: Pushkin A.S. Works. St. Petersburg: Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers & I. Glazunov, 1838-1841. 11 volumes. 8° (229 x 140mm). Additional shmutz-title. Engraved portrait of the author and facsimile sheet. In 11 dark green grand ducal morocco bindings with rich karat gold embossing on covers and spines. Moiré bookends and triple gold trim. Super ex-libris of Emperor Alexander II (1818-1881) on the front cover and his ex-libris with an additional shelf sticker on the front flyleaf. The first posthumous edition of the classic's works. The combination of two such great Russian names: Pushkin and Alexander II, as a result, involuntarily creates a unique bibliophilic charm:
Table XVIII: Publications on railway transport:
1. The plan of the railway connecting Warsaw with Tiflis and the Black Sea with the Caspian, proposed in 1858 by G. Lyubansky. From the book of G. Lyubansky, presented to the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (the Elder).
2. A note sent to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich about the inexpediency of abandoning the project of laying the main line of the Siberian railway from Nizhny Novgorod to Tyumen through Kazan (Kazan, 1883) and an accompanying letter to it from the chairman of the treasury provincial council M. Roth, substantiating the need for such a laying losses in well-being that the city and the province bear "due to the shallowing of the Volga between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, which has become chronic."
3. Tray copy to Emperor Nicholas II of the reference book of the Ryazan-Ural Railway (St. Petersburg, 1913) with a list of all stations of the railway and a description of the monuments of history, archeology, military defense, etc. preserved in their areas. Binding made of gray-green suede with overhead chased silver jewelry. Silver trim.
In the library of Emperor Nicholas II in the Winter Palace there was a special section - the railway section (see: Shcheglov V.V. His Imperial Majesty's Own Libraries and Arsenals. p. 94).
Table XIX: Domestic children's editions of the middle and first half of the 19th century. "Aunt's Tales" by M.J. Me-kintosh translated from English by A.O. Ishimova (St. Petersburg, 1851) - from the library of the Anichkov Palace; "Summer in Tsarskoe Selo" M.A. Polenova (St. Petersburg, 1852) - a copy of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, and "The Picturesque World" by F. Koni (Helsingfors, 1839) bound in green morocco, which belonged to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich. In 1826, starting to train the heir, V.A. Zhukovsky noted with regret: “Many books have been written for children. There is a lot of good stuff in German, English and French, but almost none in Russian” (Years of Teaching of Tsarevich Alexander Nikolayevich. Vol. 1. St. Petersburg, 1880. p. 9):
Table XX: Pliny the Younger (61-62 - about 113). Panegyrique de Trajan, par Pline le Jeune, traduit par M. de Sacy, de I "Academie Francaise. Paris, Chez le Clerc, MDCCLXXIl. Panegyric to Trajan by Pliny the Younger, translated by Mr. de Sacy, member of the French Academy. Paris, published by Leclerc , 1772. XXIV, 264 pp. In French, full-leather binding, triple gold trim, endpapers of paper "peacock eye", gold-embossed coat of arms superex libris of the Empress Maria Feodorovna, née Sophia-Dorotea-Augusta-Louise, Princess of Württemberg, on the covers, 14x8, 5 cm. There are 122 pencil marks on the half-title and in the text, most likely made by the hand of Maria Feodorovna herself:
Table XXII: Ancient Patericon set out in chapters. Translation from Greek. Edition of the 3rd Athos Russian Panteleimon Monastery. Moscow, typolithography by I. Efimov, 1899.428, II, p. On the title page and in the text there are multiple owner's notes in pencil. Bound in dark maroon morocco with gold-embossed Orthodox crosses and the letters "ХВ" ("Christ is risen"), doublures with ornamented gold frames. Endpapers grayish-white moire. Triple gold trim. 23.7x16 cm. On the front flyleaf there is a label, a stamp and an ex-libris of the library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (younger):
Table XXIII: Description of the sacred coronation of Their Imperial Majesties Sovereign Emperor Alexander III and Empress Empress Maria Feodorovna of All Russia.St. Petersburg, 1883. 65 p. Color. lit. title. 26 chromolithographs on separate inserts and drawings in the text, which illustrate all stages of the coronation, historical places, objects and persons associated with it. In Russian. In publisher's binding with rich carat gold embossing on the top cover. Triple gold trim. Endpapers in matt white moire. 65x49 cm. Famous masters of printing art took part in its creation. The illustrations were made by the best artists of their time: I. Repin, V. Serov, V. Surikov, V. Vasnetsov, N. Samokish, V. Vereshchagin, N. Karazin, I. Kramskoy, K. Makovsky and V. Polenov. An extremely prestigious ceremonial masterpiece album from the golden fund of the history of Russian printing, telling in detail about the coronation of the imperial couple - Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna, which took place on May 15, 1883 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In the technique of chromolithography, the works of A.P. Sokolov (ceremonial portraits of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna in ermine robes); V.D. Polenov ("At the entrance to the Assumption Cathedral"); K.E. Makovsky (“Illumination of the Kremlin”, “Lunch at the Palace of Facets”, “Folk Festival on Khodynka”); IN AND. Surikov (“Consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior”); N.N. Karazin (“Reception by the Emperor of Asian Ambassadors”), I.N. Kramskoy ("Coronation" and "Communion"). Screensavers in the book were made by V.M. Vasnetsov. The publication is also interesting in that it contains a detailed description of the costumes in which high-ranking persons appeared at receptions. A bright, colorful folio of huge size, printed in St. Petersburg in the amount of 200 copies from the library of Duke Mikhail Georgievich Mecklenburg-Strelitzky (1863-1934):
Table XXIV: Pogarelsky, Anthony (pseudo Alexei Alekseevich Perovsky (1787-1836), the natural son of Count A.K. Razumovsky). Monastery. Novel. 2 vols. St. Petersburg, N. Grech, 1833.19x12 cm. Copy from the library of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1824-1880), wife of Emperor Alexander II:
Table XXV: Sir Murchison, Roderick, Director of the Island Geological Research Institute. Murchison, Roderick Impey (1792-1871). 2 geological maps of the Russian Empire. London & Paris: John Arrowsmith for John Murray and P. Bertrand, 1845. 2 folded, hand-coloured, lithographed wall maps (650 x 815 mm and 564 x 440 mm) consisting of 12 and 4 fragments, respectively. In a Moroccan BOX of the era with karat gold embossing around the perimeter. A copy from the library of Duke Maximilian Evgenievich Leuchtenberg. In 1867, Emperor Alexander II presented Sir Roderick Murchison, who created the first geological map of the Ural Mountains and indicated rich mineral reserves, the source of the country's wealth, with a snuffbox decorated with a scattering of diamonds and his own portrait:
Table XXVI: Schmidt I.I. Grammar of the Tibetan language. St. Petersburg: W Graff and Leipzig: Leopold Voss, 1839. 4° (255 x 210 mm.). A copy on thick vellum paper from the library of Emperor Nicholas I. Triple gold trim. Moire bookends:
Table XXVII: A tray copy of one of the Russian empresses with her owner's superex libris in the form of a Double-headed eagle with the symbols of Imperial power - the Scepter and the Orb, framed by the order chain of St. Andrew the First-Called.Hamoniere G. Grammaire Russe... (fr. - Russian Grammar). Paris, T. Barrois, Impr. Royale (Royal Printing), 1817. 21.5 cm. Rich signed handmade binding by the Parisian master Doll. Solid red morocco with rich mosaic ornament. Emerald endpapers with moiré and leather doubling with gilded border. The binding corresponds to the time of publication. Unique in beauty, rarity and preservation, a copy of noble origin. From the collection of S. Guggenheim:
Table XXVIII: Strelbitsky I. Calculation of the surface of the Russian Empire in its general composition during the reign of Emperor Alexander II. St. Petersburg, printing house of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1874. 259 p. Tray copy from the library of Emperor Alexander II.
Table XXIX:[Copy of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Alexandra Feodorovna-superex libris on all 4 volumes] Bobrovsky, P.O. History of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 2 t., 2 t. applications. SPb.: V Tip. Exped. Procurement. State. Papers, 1900-1904.
Table XXX: Berlin, workshop of Carl Lehmann, [1820]. Paper; handwritten text 27.5 x 22 cm Signed mosaic binding made of red and green leather made in the 1820s of the 19th century. in the workshop of the “Berlin royal binder” Karl Lehmann (as evidenced by a sticker on the nachsatz); gold-embossed ornament in oriental style covers the entire surface of the lids; on the top cover (on the middle) there is an inscription in Arabic: Gift of love, on the bottom - Remember me -, the flyleaf and nahzat are covered with embossed burgundy silk framed by a doublure repeating the ornament on the cover; edge gilded; case bound with a gold clasp.
A unique record book links two heirs to the throne of the leading European powers and the great Russian poet. Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky (1783-1852) received an album as a gift from the heir to the Prussian throne (crown prince) Friedrich-Wilhelm (later King of Prussia Friedrich-Wilhelm IV; 1795-1861) as a sign of his friendly disposition, as evidenced by the dedicatory inscription on the first page album in German: “To my beloved Zhukovsky as a keepsake from a friendly hand. Friedrich Wilhelm heir to Prussia. Berlin. February 4th, 1825." Such a gift was characteristic of the 19th century, in which album culture reigned. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the poet then presented such a valuable gift to a person who was dear to him and with whom he connected the great future of Russia - Tsarevich Alexander (Emperor Alexander II; 1818-1881), whose mentor Zhukovsky was appointed in the autumn of 1826. The poet believed in the next Russian tsar, his student. This is evidenced by his entries in the album dated April 22, 1832, dedicated to Alexander: “This book is especially precious to me for the inscription that is made on it - I bring you, my priceless Grand Duke, so that you write down in it only those thoughts that can be most useful to you in life and from which you can eventually make up for yourself the fundamental, not very many, but necessary rules for actions, both moral and state, and which ones rules, then science, mind, heart and experience will tell you. Unfortunately, Zhukovsky's hopes that his beloved student would take up a pen did not come true. Alexander II did not make a single line in the album, although he basically tried not to upset his mentor and went down in history as a reformer tsar.
The value of books depends on the degree of their preservation and the condition of the binding. Gradually, the scroll goes into oblivion, in its place comes the code. To keep copies in good condition, they began to be placed between two hard covers. All this was hemmed and fastened with glue, endpapers, chapters, and the result was a book, the principles of which are still used today.
Over time, a culture of artistic design develops, and the cover begins to perform not only a protective function, but also acquires artistic value. more expensive than new.
The following factors affect the value of an antique book:
- The condition and degree of deterioration of the binding;
- Binding material.
Wooden binding, salaries and embossing..
Many books published before the 18th century were “dressed” in wooden binding covered with leather. To do this, the boards were sawn through to pass leather straps through them. To them, in turn, connected a block of the book. The inside of the binding was pasted over with parchment. It was connected with a tie or fastened.
The most expensive copies were decorated with a salary made of such precious metals like gold and silver. Copper salaries were also widespread. Filigree, granulation, chasing, multi-colored paint, precious and semi-precious stones were used as decorations. Under the salary, velvet or satin fabric, brocade was hemmed as a background component. The edge was painted, covered with gold. It could also be embossed. Such binding was most often characteristic of liturgical and gift books.
Everyday reading copies were made with leather bindings. Canvas could also be used as a material. For the preservation of the book, squares, mullions, "beetles" made of metal were used. Copies without additional elements were also produced.
The book production of Russia of the 15th century is distinguished by leather bindings with blind embossing. But already from the 16th century, gold stamping has been found, as well as the sign of the owner of the publication - a superex libris.
The end of the 16th century for the Moscow printing house was marked by the beginning of the publication of publications for sale. For this purpose, a bookbinding workshop was created at the court. Its workers create leather bindings without frills with blind embossing. Old books issued by the Moscow Printing House can be distinguished by a special coinage in the form of a circle with a lion and a unicorn. Above them is the imperial crown. The image occupies the center of the cover.
The Moscow Printing Yard also produced tray editions bound with a special cover. Similar bindings were issued by the masters of the Ambassadorial Order, as well as the Order of Secret Affairs. The latter operated a factory for the production of morocco products.
Printed editions of the 17th century, in contrast to the even and flat covers of literary copies of the 11th-16th centuries, are distinguished by bandage design. To do this, the binding is divided into several parts with the help of transverse rollers made of leather. Under them was a drape, which served as a fastener for a book block. As a result, the binding board protruded slightly above the book block. At the same time, the abbreviated title of the publication begins to be minted on the cover.
The 17th century in the Russian Empire is also characterized by the fact that morocco leather, a special kind of leather made from sheep and goat skins, first processed in an original way in the Moroccan town of Safi, was used as a cover for expensive gift editions. It has a strong and beautiful texture. This by no means cheap material could be painted in any color scheme. Most often the binding was red and green. Instead of leather for tray books and custom-made books, velvet, satin, silk fabrics, as well as brocade could be used.
Cardboard, silk and velvet bindings
Under Peter I, in the 18th century, wooden covers were replaced by cardboard ones. The binding with a cover made of dark leather is designed in a simple and simple style. Gold-embossed patterns were common as decoration. The cover could also be sprayed with paints in a special way. In place of the leather straps that fastened the book block to the cover, a thinner braid comes.
Under the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, books bound in soft leather were at the peak of popularity. Velvet, silk covers, gold-edged editions were also fashionable. Everywhere there was a chic embossing. The same book could be published both in and in a simple version. So, the publication "Description of the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna ..." was published by the Academy of Sciences in 1744 in three different variations. The most expensive and beautiful copy was a book made of red saffiano leather with gold embossing of the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, crown, orb and scepter. The mass version of the descriptions was published without embellishments.
The second half of the XVIII century is characterized by the active formation of nobles. Tray books continue to be issued with a rich morocco binding, embossed with a frame with ornaments, with application. Marble paper was used for gluing the endpapers. Gilded book edges were popular.
A new form of inexpensive binding began to spread: semi-leather. For greater safety, the roots and corners continued to be made of leather. Paper stylized as “marble” or “peacock feather” was glued onto the cardboard cover. The rest of the binding was also pasted over with paper, but of the same color. The output data, the name of the printed edition began to be indicated. Bindings made of thick paper - cardboard - began to be practiced in Russia at the end of the 18th century. The innovation was introduced by the publishers Ridiger H., Claudio H.. Such book production was produced by the publishing house of Moscow University, whose tenants were Christian and Christopher.
At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, periodicals and multi-volume books began to be issued with a printed publisher's cover. Then the books were bound by hand, so each binding option is one of a kind. Also during these years it was popular to produce books without binding. Subsequently, the customer intertwined them depending on his financial situation and desire.
If in Europe the author of the work and the performer were indicated on the binding, then in Russia such a practice was introduced only after the 50s of the XIX century. The most famous bookbinders of that time were E. Rowe, V. Nilson, A. Shnel, A. Peterson from St. Petersburg, A. Petzman and Z. Tarasov from Moscow.
The simplest covers were made of smooth and durable brown calfskin. Since the 50s of the 19th century, fragile but well-dyed skin of sheep, goat and horse was used for inexpensive bindings. Solid leather bindings for mass publications were also made from pigskin, sealskin and yuft.
Toward Modernity: Replication and the Emergence of Factories
The 19th century is famous for the large circulation of publications, the demand for books among the general population, so the publishers faced the task of reducing the cost of products.
Books from the beginning of the 20th century are distinguished by their binding, made of special leather of the “fantasy” type. This is a processed calf leather that imitates expensive bookbinding materials. And then it is less common. Increasingly, cardboard binding with lithography is used. New materials are being practiced more and more, including calico. It was invented in England, and 15 years later, in 1840, it appeared in Russia. Lederin material is also becoming popular.
Hand binding, practiced until the 1950s, begins to fade into obscurity after the emergence of factories in the 1860s. The first bookbinding enterprise opens in 1869: this is the Moscow Association “I.N. Kushnerev & Co." Later, a new T.I. Partnership appears. Hagen. It was also located in Moscow. And in St. Petersburg, the factory of O.F. Kirchner, opened in 1871. On the back cover of the binding of books of that time, you can find embossed or pasted names of factories.
In Russia, book binding became known only with the advent of handwritten books - codes. Until the end of the 17th century, the covers of bindings were made exclusively of wood. Binding boards were cut flush with the book block and attached to it with leather straps, to which book notebooks were hemmed. From the outside, the boards were covered with leather, which was bent inward. Each belt was sequentially passed through cuts made in the binding boards. There was no endpaper in the old Russian book; the inside of the binding covers were glued, as a rule, with parchment. The spine of the book was made flat or round, without lagging behind. Each book was supplied with clasps or ties, the edges were painted or processed with special tools in order to change their texture.
Depending on the intended purpose of handwritten books, their bindings were divided into salaried and everyday. The wooden bindings were covered with leather, covered with gold, silver or copper frames and/or cloth (satin, velvet) and decorated with embossing, enamel, colored enamels, filigree, precious stones or rhinestones. Velvet, brocade, satin were used as a background for the salary. Salaries were supplied mainly with liturgical books that were used during worship or religious ceremonies. The earliest salary is considered to be the binding of the Mstislav Gospel, created in the 12th century in Constantinople and updated by Russian craftsmen as it deteriorated. Now this book is stored in the State Historical Museum in Moscow.
Salary of the Mstislav Gospel.
The first accurately dated Russian work of oklad art is the binding of the Gospel of the Week, created in 1392 by order of the boyar Fyodor Koshka and now stored in the Russian State Library.
Gospel of Fyodor Koshka.
Books intended for everyday use were “dressed” in simple everyday bindings. Everyday wooden binding was covered with leather or canvas and had a minimum of decorations (metal squares, mullions, leather embossing).
The State Historical Museum in Moscow has a copy of Ivan Fedorov's Apostle of 1564, enclosed in an unusual binding for that time: on the top cover of the full-leather binding, richly decorated with blind embossing, a double-headed eagle and an inscription are reproduced in gold in a rectangular frame, indicating that This is a personal copy of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. This is the first case known to us of the use of a superex libris (the owner's mark embossed on the cover) as an element of the cover decoration and the first gold stamping on the skin in Russian bookbinding.
The first book of the Moscow printing house - Apostle 1564, published by Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets
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Upper binding cover. The deesis is three-figured. Mixed media painting. First half of the 19th century On the lower field there is a cinnabar inscription, which previously contained the date of creation of this icon image on the cover (preserved in fragments)
Top binding cover. "Crucifixion" with the upcoming Mother of God and John the Theologian, with evangelists in medallions. Tempera painting. First half of the 18th century
The development of bookbinding in Russia in the 16th-17th centuries is closely connected with the work of the Moscow Printing Yard, at which a bookbinding workshop began to function as early as the end of the 16th century. The main part of the products of the Moscow Printing House was intended for sale and was issued in uniform simple full-leather bindings, modestly decorated with blind embossing. In the center of covers intended for sale, the trademark of the Moscow Printing Yard was often placed - a stamp depicting a battle between a lion and a unicorn, which is enclosed in a circular inscription. Two birds are depicted above the circle, and flowers below them. The whole composition is enclosed in a rectangle bordered by an ornamental border. Over time, this sign has undergone numerous changes. In the workshop of the printing house, “tray”, that is, intended for a gift, especially luxurious bindings were made from expensive materials - morocco (a kind of leather made from the skins of sheep and goats, which first appeared in the city of Safi in Morocco), durable, beautiful in texture, expensive material that can be dyed in any color (red and green were favorites) - thin, soft, durable and beautiful leather, velvet, silk, satin, brocade - with gold embossing and skillfully engraved clasps. Bookbinding to order was also done by workshops embassy order and the order of secret affairs, under which a small morocco factory functioned.
In the 17th century, the binding changed: the binding boards now protrude above the book block, and the even and flat spine of the book became “bandaged,” that is, divided into parts by transverse leather rollers (bandages) that hide the twine or drape that fastened the book block. For the first time, the title of the book was printed on the spine, still in an abbreviated form. The embossing pattern on the binding covers has become more complicated.
Bandage box. Ostrozhskaya.
At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, wooden covers were replaced with cardboard covers. In accordance with the spirit of Peter's reforms, in early XVIII centuries, strictly designed bindings became widespread: covers, as a rule, were covered with dark calfskin without decorations, the spine was divided into parts with bandages, and the short title of the book was placed in one of its upper divisions. Much less common are full-leather bindings with a narrow, gold-embossed ornamental frame or a surface decorated with splashes of paint.
At the same time, there were significant changes in the technological process of making book bindings. To increase the strength of the binding, the spine was molded to give it a mushroom shape. Instead of thick straps for stitching books, they began to use a thin and flexible captal.
In the following decades, the art of bookbinding continued to improve. It received particular development in connection with the emergence of bibliophilia in Russia and the creation of large noble libraries. Covers of individual bindings, regardless of the content of the book, were covered with red morocco and decorated with a border frame and a super ex-libris embossed in gold on both sides of the bindings. The bandage spine was richly decorated, the edges of the books were gilded, the flyleaf was glued with handmade marble paper. This design of individual bindings is called the style of "palace libraries".
The gospel presented to Emperor Nicholas I on the day of the coronation and invested by Nikolai Pavlovich in the Life Guards Transfiguration Cathedral. Kyiv, 1746; salary - Moscow, around 1826 Silver, gilding, enamel, copper, rhinestones, board, paper; casting, chasing, gilding.
Appliqué "href="/text/category/applikatciya/" rel="bookmark">appliqué made of fabric with hand-coloring. On the top cover - the monogram of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, on the bottom - the image of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
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Under Elizabeth Petrovna, editions bound in soft leather, velvet and silk, with gilded edges and rich embossing were in fashion. The publication of the same book was practiced in several versions: an individual tray, luxurious and simple. In the second half of the 18th century, in connection with the formation of large noble libraries, the practice of creating tray bindings was further developed. The covers of such bindings were covered with morocco, decorated with an embossed ornamental frame and superex libris, endpapers were glued with marble paper, and the edge of the book was gilded.
In addition, in the second half of the 18th century, new types and types of bindings became widespread in Russia. The semi-leather, or spine-bound, had leather-covered corners, while the covers were glued with colorful hand-made paper (“marbled”, “peacock feather”, “bird's eye”). Publisher's cartonage, or binding in a folder, is a solid cardboard cover pasted over with one-color paper with a printed text of the title of the book and imprint. The emergence of new types of binding was caused by the expansion of the social circle of book consumers and the gradual democratization of book culture.
In Russia XVIII - the first half of XIX For centuries, bookbinding was done by hand, and each bookbinding was therefore unique. Most of the books at the beginning of the 19th century came out of the printing house not bound, and the bindings, if they were made, were created by order of the owner after he bought the book, in accordance with his requests and financial capabilities. Unlike Europe, in Russia it was not customary to leave the brand of its author and performer on the binding - only in the second half of the 19th century did the owner's bindings become “signed”. The most famous craftsmen for the manufacture of individual owner's bindings at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries were E. Ro (Row), V. Nilson, Meyer, A. Schnel, in St. Petersburg, A. Petzman, in Moscow.
The most famous Russian binding companies:
Owner | Nature of work |
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Petersburg | |||
Court bookbinder and casemaker | Production of bindings of all types and types by handicraft |
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1872 - early 20th century | Factory production of all types and types of bindings |
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Petersburg | |||
1868 - beginning of the 20th century | Factory production of all types and types of publishing bindings |
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Supplier of the Moscow Synodal Printing House. | Production of all types and types of bindings, mainly church books |
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Yard Supplier | Petersburg | Factory production of all types and types of publishing bindings; specialization in embossed calico bindings. |
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Factory production of all types and types of publishing bindings |
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Petersburg | 1890s - early 20th century | Factory production of all types and types of publishing bindings |
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Petersburg | 1862 - beginning of the 20th century | Album binding, production of one-piece full-leather bindings. |
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Petzman. A.P. | Manufacture of cases and owner's (piece) bindings by handicraft |
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Manufacture of bindings of church books in a handicraft way. |
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1890 - early 20th century | Factory production of account books, all types and types of bindings |
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Production of all types and types of bindings, mainly church books |
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yard supplier; Petersburg's most expensive bookbinder. | Petersburg | Manufacture of proprietary, especially luxurious and artistic bindings by craftsmanship |
Binding types.
1. Solid-leather (XIII-XVIII centuries), full-fabric (XIII-XVIII centuries), full-parchment (XV-XVIII centuries) binding - the most common type: the spine and covers are completely covered with a coating material, which is folded and fixed on the inner sides of the boards .
2. Half-leather, half-fabric, half-parchment binding (XV-XVIII centuries) - only the spine and no more than half of the covers adjacent to it are covered with material.
3. Double binding (XVI-XVIII centuries) - covered twice with different coating materials. On some editions of the Moscow Printing Yard, bound in a printing workshop, a rough top sheet protects the ornament embossed with gold and silver from damage and dirt.
4. "Bag" binding - a soft, flexible cover made of leather or fabric with a large, mostly triangular, like an envelope, flap with a tie, protruding far beyond the front edge. This binding, reminiscent in appearance of a "briefcase bag", was common in the 16th-17th centuries.
5. Cardboard binding, “in paper boards”, appeared in Russia in the 17th century.
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1. Russian book bindings of the 17th-19th centuries. 2. Signature mosaic binding by master E. Ro. Russia. End of the 19th century.
https://pandia.ru/text/78/232/images/image014_36.jpg" width="310" height="237 src=">.gif" width="239" height="310">.jpg" width="267 height=346" height="346">.jpg" width="225 height=297" height="297">.jpg" width="277 height=328" height="328">Binding materials "href="/text/category/pereplyotnie_materiali/" rel="bookmark">binding materials made on a fabric basis by mechanical means, primarily calico. Invented in England in 1825, calico has been widely used in Russian bookbinding since the 1940s, practically displacing all other bookbinding materials from use. It was possible to make durable, cheap and beautiful bindings from calico, various in color, character and finishing method. It was used with equal success for both solid and composite bindings (in combination with leather or paper), both for cheap mass-produced books and for luxury gift and bibliophile publications. From the end of the 1860s, binding factories appeared in Russia, the first among which were the Partnership and Co. and the Partnership organized in Moscow in 1869, as well as the St. Petersburg factory. The names of the factories were reproduced by embossing or pasted on the flyleaf of the back cover. 
Partnership and Co. Moscow, gg.
A. Shch.". Composite endpapers made of tinted paper.
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1. Partnership and Co., 1904. Leather spine with gold embossing. 2. Factory, St. Petersburg, years. Five-volume book « Universe and Humanity. Binding in modern style.
1. Wolf. Multi-volume edition Picturesque Russia», y.. 2. Moscow, 1912. Partnership.
At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, bookbinding acquired modern features, types and types of book bindings were formed, which are still used today.
In the first years of Soviet power, the number of books published in publisher's bindings did not exceed 10%. Covers and bindings of those years do not have a single design style, but reflect the struggle of various artistic trends: constructivist, futuristic, realistic - and are solved by different means: with the help of photomontage, realistic illustration, generalizing drawing, which has a dynamic, poster character, font, type-setting typographic decorations . Such covers are mainly made in the technique of lithography and woodcuts.
One of the important activities of the publishing house "Alfaret" is the manufacture of book bindings to order. We have leathered many different book collections in high quality leather, and each binding is handcrafted in our workshop by highly experienced professionals.
There are a significant number of book design options, many of which are presented in our Catalog. Binding works are divided into several categories of complexity. The simple leather binding includes the title of the book embossed in plain color foil on the spine and side. Fine decorative frames, dies and bandages can be added to the binding of medium complexity.
leather binding high complexity- this is, as a rule, a masterpiece of bookbinding, made according to all the canons of creating collectible books: relief and blind stamping, bandages on round spines, hand stitching of the block, stamping with gold and silver foil, gilding of edges, bookplates, monograms, author's design.
Composite binding deserves special attention, for which different materials are used - leather, special fabric, designer or marbled paper. The creation of such a binding is painstaking manual labor that requires solid experience.
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It is up to the customer to decide which binding to choose: it can be one of the options presented in the Catalog, or an individual project based on the original wishes of the client. We will help you choose the design of bindings for or offer a unique solution for - in the design of book collections, the creative flight is not limited, and every book lover can become the ideological inspirer of this exciting process.
Binding materials are also presented in the Catalog - this is natural leather of special dressing of various colors and textures, artificial leather (leatherette), bumvinyl, fabric. For endpapers, Khepera designer paper matched to the color of the binding is used, for captal and lace - natural silk.
Many people turn to us to update their favorite editions. The second life of an old book is not only new cover materials: if necessary, we will restore damaged pages, align the blocks and color the edges.
