The Epistolary Legacy of Historian, Bibliographer and Bibliophile N.P. Likhachev in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library

In the article analyses the epistolary heritage of the historian, bibliophile, bibliographer, art historian and collector, academician N.P. Likhachev (1862—1936), which is kept in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library. A total of 109 letters and telegrams (dating from 1885 to 1927) have been discovered. These texts contain diverse and reliable information about the main events of the biography, scientific interests and personality of the eminent scholar, including the discussion in connection with the publication of his fundamental monograph on the the hierarchy of 16th century dyaks (1888), his contribution to the study of icon painting, his publishing activities, his cooperation in public organisations, his attitude to the book as a cultural phenomenon, and his bibliophile preferences. Most of the letters are in the fund of the antiquarian book dealer P.P. Shibanov and concern the formation of the historian’s library, the purchase of books, criteria for their selection, prices for antiquarian editions, and the distribution of his own works. Special attention is paid to the fate of N.P. Likhachev after 1917, first of all to the difficulties he faced in his scientific activity and everyday life. The epistolary sources significantly expand and clarify the ideas of modern science about the development of many areas of Russian humanitarian knowledge: bibliology, bibliophilia, archaeography, art history, medieval studies, source studies, etc.