TITLE: Russian Imperial Bindings as Artifact and a Key for Reconstruction of the Imperial Libraries
SPEAKER: Dr. Ekaterina Gerasimova
EVENT DATE: 05/19/2010
RUNNING TIME: 63 minutes
DESCRIPTION:
The global social-political and cultural cataclysm at the beginning of 20th century in Russia eradicated the moral and spiritual basis for millions of people. The destruction of archives and private libraries, especially those of the Russian emperors and grand dukes, and the ensuing world-wide dispersal of books caused an unreliable "new" version of history to be written. These books, with their heraldic symbols, ex-libris plates, and marginal inscriptions, reveal a clear, extensive and true picture of the activities and intellectual pursuits of their original owners. In her talk, Dr. Gerasimova examines Russian imperial books once owned by Catherine the Great and Nicholas II, now a part of the LC Rare Book & Special Collections Division (John Batchelder and Yudin Collections), the Law Library, and Harvard University, and how they may be a basis for a virtual reconstruction of the Russian Imperial Libraries. This event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.
