A pearl multi-valuable: a study of collections from the fund of the National V.I. Vernadskyi Library of Ukraine

The History of Book Culture in Ukraine: A Study of Retrospective Editions of Books, Figurative Arts, Music and Historic Collections from Funds of the National V.I. Vernadskyi Library of Ukraine. Kyiv: Akademperiodyka, 2021, 400 p.

Abstract

The book contains results of a multidimensional study of retrospective book, fine art and music editions and historical collections from funds of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. The art of book production on Ukrainian terrains imbibed the features of best European samples. Historical traditions of the Ukrainian book culture originate from manuscript texts of Kyiv Rus, whereas printed books (primarily ones printed in Cyrillic) were known as early as in the 14th and early half of the 15th century. A remarkable phenomenon of the Ukrainian book culture was traveling printers which, unlike one official printer in Moscow, operated in various Ukrainian lands. The book elaborates on national features of the printing design of Ukrainian editions; a peculiar method of correcting mistakes, e.g. by attaching a list of printing errors to a book, according to the West European practice; linguistic peculiarities of a publication (simple spoken language or parallel use of Church Slavonic and colloquial language). The concern with book printing can be most vividly demonstrated by the high quality of editions made by Kyiv Pechersk monastery, when the Ukrainian baroque traditions were laid and subsequently developed: a book is perceived as a treasure, as a value, with text and decorations making a single whole. One section of the book is devoted to the book-printing culture of the Ukrainian diaspora.