Resettlement Administration Handbooks: Creation, Content, Distribution, Reading (Late 19th – Early 20th Century)

В фокусе исследования автора находятся малоизученные проблемы создания и бытования справочников, которые Переселенческое управление издавало для крестьян в конце XIX – начале XX в. Установлены авторы, тиражи и механизмы распространения такого рода книжной продукции. За несколько десятилетий сложились целые серии справочных изданий, которые предоставляли переселенцу детальную информацию о регионах Азиатской России в текущем году. Со сменой переселенческого курса от сдерживания к поощрению репрезентация Сибири становилась все более позитивной. Вместе с тем справочники не были рекламным изданием, так как в них содержались разносторонние (в том числе негативные) сведения о Сибири. Их можно считать одним из ограниченно эффективных каналов информирования. Тиражи и механизмы, компенсировавшие грамотность, делали справочные книги доступными, но действенность их распространения остается неясной. Кроме того, крестьяне могли воспринимать содержание справочника в искаженном виде и не доверять официальной информации. The study focuses on the understudied problems of creation and use of handbooks published by Resettlement Administration for peasants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first official publications for informing settlers were issued by Resettlement Administration. Comparison of the handbooks of different years shows how the system of information collection developed and how the representation of Siberia changed. A series of handbooks about Asiatic Russia emerged over several decades, as well as their short versions, and handbooks about resettlement areas. They provided the settlers with detailed information about the regions of Asiatic Russia in the current year. The representation of Siberia became more positive with the change of the resettlement course from deter to encouragement. The compilers of handbooks, their print runs, and the mechanism of their distribution are identified. Generally, the compilers of handbooks were experienced and high-ranking officials, some of whom were engaged in scientific activities. The purpose of the handbooks was not advertising, but informing peasants about the difficulties and prospects of resettlement. It is complicated to establish with certainty what influence the handbooks had on the settlers. At most, they can be considered a limitedly effective source of information. The annual circulation corresponded to the number of settlers, with some years being exceptions. However, it is not clear whether the mechanism of distribution of handbooks allowed to bring the publications to the reader. The literacy level of peasants was low, but there were compensatory mechanisms, such as collective reading aloud, assistance of officials and zemstvo workers. It is possible that a significant factor that reduced the effectiveness of handbooks was that peasants misunderstood them and might not have trusted official information.