“Being a Great Lover and Collector of Bibliography”: Letters from D.V. Ulyaninsky to Bibliophiles

The article presents the publication of 14 letters from the outstanding bibliophile and bibliographer D.V. Ulyaninsky (1861—1918) addressed to the owners of large personal libraries S.P. Vinogradov (1853—1918), P.A. Kartavov (1873—1941), I.A. Shlyapkin (1858—1918), L.I. Zheverzheyev (1881—1942). They are kept in the Manuscript Departments of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the National Library of Russia, the Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Archival Department of the A.A. Bakhrushin State Central Theater Museum. The epistolary messages are devoted to the issues of the formation of D.V. Ulyaninskyʼs library, contain requests for publications and clarification of bibliographic information. The letters to S.P. Vinogradov from Kislovodsk provide a rare opportunity to learn about D.V. Ulyaninskyʼs lifestyle during vacations, when he was off duty and was not engaged in collecting books. Of particular interest is one of the letters addressed to L.I. Zheverzheyev, which is actually a detailed review by D.V. Ulyaninsky of the printed catalogue “Inventory of My Collection” (Petrograd, 1915, vol. 1). It outlines approaches that allow us to learn about the principles of Ulyaninskyʼs work as a bibliographer and compiler of a detailed catalogue of a personal library.