The Life and Deeds of Alexander Govorov, Historian and Bookman (on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of his Birth)

The article examines the activities of the outstanding Russian bibliologist and historian-writer Alexander Alekseevich Govorov (1925—2003), whose 100th anniversary is celebrated in 2025. The article describes the scientistʼs research and pedagogical contribution not only to the development of bibliology in general, but also to the development of the history of bookmaking and bibliopolistics (the science of book trade). It was on the initiative and with the active participation of A.A. Govorov that the Department of Bibliology was opened for the first time in the at the Editorial and Publishing Faculty of the Moscow Institute of Polygraphy and Graphic Arts to train specialists with higher education in the field of book trade (1964). Also, on the initiative of A.A. Govorov, a new specialty “Bibliology and Book Trade Organization” appeared (1975) and the Faculty of Book Trade was established (1976). The first university textbook “The History of the Book Trade in the USSR” (1976) was created on the basis of lectures given by A.A. Govorov.