Pyotr Druzhinin’s and Alexander Sobolev’s Rare Book Collection: Annotated Scientific Catalogue of Outstanding Monuments of Writing from the 15th to the Early 20th Century in Three Volumes (Muzey knigi Petra Druzhinina i Aleksandra Soboleva)

The illustrated "Museum of the Book" opens to the reader 680 amazing exhibits that were previously inaccessible to the general public and researchers. Charters from Russian tsars, first editions of Pushkin, manuscripts by Goncharov and Leskov, unknown erotic works, and personal letters from Tchaikovsky — all this and much more awaits you in the three "halls" of the book museum. This three-volume catalog represents a unique event in the history of domestic culture: it is the first illustrated description of one of the best private collections of Russian antiquarian books and manuscripts in the world. Executed at the highest scientific level, the publication allows you to see masterpieces, most of which were previously hidden not only from ordinary viewers but also from researchers. The 680 exhibits included in the "Museum of the Book" are distributed across the chapters of the catalog as if they were in museum halls — starting from the first example of Slavic printing from 1491 and up to monuments of Russian literature from the early 20th century: a section on ancient Russian literature; charters from Russian tsars and emperors; masterpieces of Russian literature from the 18th century; a collection of books from the libraries of Russian emperors; books from Napoleon's library that were captured in the fire of the Patriotic War of 1812. The golden age of Russian literature is represented by an unparalleled collection of first editions of Pushkin, including the only genuine autograph of the great poet in private hands; in this section, there are also manuscripts and drawings by Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky, Nekrasov and Goncharov, Pisemsky and Leskov; memorial items of Gogol and Dostoevsky; letters from Herzen and Ostrovsky; destroyed, low-circulation, and censorship-banned editions, as well as unknown erotic works by Russian writers. The musical section includes a selection of personal letters from Tchaikovsky; the section on monuments of Russian science features original drawings by Kulibin, manuscripts by Lobachevsky, and first editions by Lomonosov and Mendeleev. The publication is intended for both historians and all those who are not indifferent to Russian history and culture.