''Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya'' (russian: Библиоте́ка для чте́ния, en, The Reader's Library) was a Russian monthly magazine founded in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, in 1834 by
Alexander Smirdin.
History
The magazine "of literature, sciences, arts, industry, current news and fashion" was launched in 1834 by publisher and trader Alexander Filippovich Smirdin who invited the professor of
Saint Petersburg University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
Osip Senkovsky
Osip Ivanovich Senkovsky (russian: О́сип Ива́нович Сенко́вский), born Józef Julian Sękowski ( in Antagonka, near Vilnius – in Saint Petersburg), was a Polish-Russian orientalist, journalist, and entertainer.
Life
...
to edit it, for unusually high salary of 15 thousand rubles a year. For the first time in the history of Russian journalism Smirdin maintained the distinction between the publisher and editor and fixed the royalties schedule (200 rubles per list a minimum, 1000 rubles for famous authors).
''Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya'' became the first ever best-selling magazine in Russia to appeal to the wide middle-class readership, not just the intellectual elite.
The magazine had several regular sections: Russian Literature, Foreign Literature, Science and Arts, Industry and Agriculture, Criticism, History of Literature and Miscellaneous. Each issue featured the illustrated report on latest fashions. After its second year the magazine had 5 thousand subscribers, two years later - 7 thousand. The subscription price was modest, 50 rubles per year.
The 1830s were the golden age of ''Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya'' which in its first two years published works by
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
. In the 1840s
Andrey Krayevsky
Andrey Alexandrovich Krayevsky (russian: Андре́й Алекса́ндрович Крае́вский; February 17 .S. 5 1810 – August 20 .S. 8 1889) was a Russian publisher and journalist, best known for his work as an editor-in-chief of ...
's ''
Otechestvennye Zapiski
''Otechestvennye Zapiski'' ( rus, Отечественные записки, p=ɐˈtʲetɕɪstvʲɪnːɨjɪ zɐˈpʲiskʲɪ, variously translated as "Annals of the Fatherland", "Patriotic Notes", "Notes of the Fatherland", etc.) was a Russian lite ...
'' became a strong rival. This, as well as the social changes in Russia contributed to ''BDC''s decline. By 1847, when the subscription figures dropped to 3 thousand, Smirdin has already gone bankrupt. A year later the magazine was acquired by the book trader V.P.Pechatkin who invited
Albert Starchevsky
Albert Vikentyevich Starchevsky (russian: Альберт Викентьевич Старчевский, born Adalbert-Voytekh Starchevsky, pl, Adalbert-Wojciech Starczewski, 28 April 1818, Kiev Governorate, Imperial Russia, — 7 October 1901, S ...
as a co-editor. In 1856
Alexander Druzhinin
Alexander Vasilyevich Druzhinin (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Дружи́нин), (October 20, 1824 – January 31, 1864), was a Russian writer, translator, and magazine editor.
Biography
Druzhinin was born into a wea ...
became its editor, to be joined by
Alexei Pisemsky. As Druzhinin retired due to poor health, Pisemsky in November 1860 became ''BDC''s editor-in-chief. He left the magazine in 1863 to be succeeded by
Pyotr Boborykin
Pyotr Dmitryevich Boborykin (russian: Пётр Дми́триевич Боборы́кин; – 12 August 1921) was a Russian writer, playwright, and journalist.
Biography
Boborykin was born into the family of a landowner. He studied at Kazan ...
and Nikolai Voskoboynikov. ''Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya''s final issue came out in April 1865.
References
{{Authority control
1834 establishments in the Russian Empire
1865 disestablishments in the Russian Empire
Defunct literary magazines published in Europe
Defunct magazines published in Russia
Magazines established in 1834
Magazines disestablished in 1865
Magazines published in Saint Petersburg
Russian-language magazines
Literary magazines published in Russia
Monthly magazines published in Russia