Academy of Sciences Press was founded in St. Petersburg

On October 4 (15) 1727 in St. Petersburg in the former palace of tsarina Praskovia Fyodorovna (today the Zoological Museum) on the decree of the Supreme Privy Council was set up a printing press of the Academy of Sciences aimed for “printing historical books, translated into the Russian language”.

Following the decree, out of those presses operating in St. Petersburg remained two - the one in the Senate, which was responsible for printing decrees and the press at the Academy of Sciences for publication of historical books. Printing presses in the Synod and the Alexander Nevsky Monastery were transferred to Moscow getting under the control of Synod for printing church books. Thus the Academy of Sciences became a center of secular printing.

The Academy of Sciences press included two departments: Russian and foreign. Technical support was provided by special workshops, like type-foundry and bindery. The Engraving Chamber was set up for prints production.

In the beginning of 1728 supervision over the press was assigned to G.F. Miller. Within the first year of its existence the press issued 11 books, in the following decade it printed on average 20 books per year.

The content of printed editions was defined by the academic assembly, which consisted of scholars. They planned works to be translated, and reviewed manuscripts. Key principles for evaluation of manuscripts and their readiness for being printed included a collective discussion, criteria of scientific novelty, argumentation of ideas and experiments.

For selling of academic editions at the main building of the Academy of Sciences in 1728 was opened a Book Chamber (in 1735 it was renamed a book shop). Here was opened a book storehouse — “magazein”. Later academic book selling practice was set up in Moscow. Books were sold by auctions or “unrestricted sales”. The first auction kicked off in 1734.

From the start the academic printing press printed works by academicians and foreign books translations. Articles were placed into periodicals entitled “Academic commentaries”. They came out in the Latin and later in the Russian language as well.

In 1728 the Academy became responsible for printing the “Saint Petersburg Bulletin” newspaper. The newspaper covered foreign news, court chronicle, announcements on auctions, information on contracts and sales, newly published books and theatre performances. The newspaper was accompanied by the so-called “supplement”, which contained official materials: manifestos, decrees and resolutions.

The first geographic map entitled “Atlas of the Russian Empire”, based on scientific geodetic survey, was issued in 1745. Keen interest aroused calendars which contained articles on astronomy, geography, history and medicine. In 1755 was launched a magazine called “Monthly articles serving for the benefit and entertainment”. One of the highlights of Church Slavonic books was “The Elisavet’s Bible”, or “The Elizabeth’s Bible” (Yelisavetinskaya bibliya) (1752).

The Academic press issued works by V.K. Trediakovsky, G.F. Miller, S. P. Krashennikov, L. Euler, S.S. Volchkov. Editions issued by the Academy of Science were notable for their good quality and profundity.

From 1768 all academic editions, published in the press, had a special mark on their title page. All printing presses of the Empire were prohibited under the penalty of forfeiture in favor of the Academy to “reprint books issued in the Academic press without its special permission”.

Until the foundation of a special academic publishing house the academic press almost for two centuries remained a publishing body of the Academy of Sciences, and fulfilled both publishing and printing functions, including manuscripts editing and academic works publication.

In the beginning of 1923 publishing was made independent and on April 14 1923 was registered a new Academy’s establishment — the Russian Academy of Science Publishing House.

Lit.: Лаврентий Лаврентьевич Блюментрост (1692–1755) [Электронный ресурс] // Российская академия наук. 2016. URL: http://www.ras.ru/presidents/a79df949-263f-4d45-a967-01bd434093c5.aspx?hidetoc=0; Тараканова О. Л. История книги. Гл. 14. Книга в России в первой половине XVIII в. [Электронный ресурс]. Институт открытого образования. 2013. URL: http://www.hi-edu.ru/e-books/HB/14-4.htm.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Полное собрание законов Российской империи, с 1649 года. Т. 7. № 5175. С. 873.