Reading for Soldiers and People: the Phenomenon of “Soldiers’ Library” of V.A. Berezovsky

The article is devoted to the well-known serial edition “Soldatskaya Biblioteka” [Soldiers’ Library] of V.A. Berezovsky, the commission agent of the Ministry of Defence, private publisher and bookseller of military literature. Since 1888, most of the works were published and republished under the title “Reading for Soldiers and People” and from 1894 to 1915 — “Soldiers’ Library”. The purpose of this large publishing project of V.A. Berezovsky was to promote intellectual and spiritual moral development and self-education of the lower military ranks. By 1915, twenty-five serial sets of “Soldiers’ library” — twenty stories in each — were published. Separate sets and works were repeatedly republished. The aim of the study is to show the noticeable role of cheap illustrated “military and moral” books in the acquisition of libraries for the lower ranks and company book collections of military educational institutions. The author collected the data about all serial sets and runs of “Soldiers’ Library” by 1915, its acquisition and distribution. The article presents the analysis of the authors and the content of the library, its presence in military and civil book collections.

Commercial entrepreneurial spirit, common sense and taste of V. Berezovsky himself, the appropriate choice of authors and their works, low prices, design, accessibility and accuracy of the publications were of great importance in gaining the great popularity of the “Soldiers’ Library”. Its active advertising campaign, conducted through the official structures of the military and other Departments, as well as through the printed publications owned by V. Berezovsky, contributed to its promotion to soldiers-readers. Therefore, some of the works from the “Soldiers’ Library” were purposfully admitted for acquisition of book collections of lower schools, free folk libraries and reading rooms and were recommended for home reading for cadets of primary schools.

The results of study demonstrate that the “Soldiers’ Library” was available in the catalogues of book collections for lower ranks, in company schools, in battalion, squadron, crew, battery and regimental educational teams of military units and military schools. The experience of edition of “Soldiers’ Library” was popular in the years of Soviet power: it was used in the series “Library of Red Army Soldier”, “Popular Scientific Library of Soldier” and “Bibliotechka of the ‘Sovetsky Voin’ magazine” [Library of the “Soviet Soldier” Magazine].

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