''Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya'' (, ) was a Russian monthly magazine founded in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, 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 (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

Osip Senkovsky Osip Ivanovich Senkovsky (; – ), born Józef-Julian Sękowski, was a Polish-Russian orientalist, journalist and entertainer. Life Senkovsky was born on his mother's estate in Antagotony, located some 30 miles away from Vilna (Vilnius in moder ...

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 () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

. In the 1840s Andrey Krayevsky'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 lit ...

'' 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 as a co-editor. In 1856

Alexander Druzhinin Alexander Vasilyevich Druzhinin (), (October 20, 1824 – January 31, 1864), was a Russian writer, translator, and magazine editor. Biography Druzhinin was born into a wealthy family in the district of Golov, part of Saint Petersburg Governo ...

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 (; – 12 August 1921) was a Russian writer, playwright, and journalist. Biography Boborykin was born into the family of a landowner. He studied at Kazan State University and the Dorpat University, but he never c ...

and . ''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