The Livadia Palace library was assembled for the members of the imperial family and contained several thousand books. Meyers Encyclopedia (Meyers Konversations-Lexikon) is one of the most valuable books in its collection.
The library housed not only Russian but also popular foreign encyclopedias, including publications in German, which was one of the native languages of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Moreover, the encyclopedia served both as a source of knowledge to the members of the imperial family and as a teaching aid for the emperor’s children who studied various subjects and foreign languages.
A lot of effort was put into developing the imperial library in the Livadia Palace. It was packed with valuable and rare editions by Russian and foreign authors. There was particular emphasis on Russian classical literature, including the works of such authors as Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov, Anton Chekhov, and others. Members of the imperial family were avid readers with extensive reading preferences. The library also contained the works of the Crimean historian Arseny Markevich, chairman of the Taurida Scientific Archival Commission.
The Meyers Encyclopedia was printed in Leipzig, Germany. The book is bound in a hard cloth cover of a yellow-green color. The book is printed in a Gothic font. Its leather spine features gold embossing that shows the edition title, the volume number, and the range of German words covered in the volume (from A to Astigmatismus). The half-title page indicates the dictionary’s title, the volume number, and the range of words. The title page features the number of illustrations as well as the time and place of publication. The book block contains 904 pages with Arabic numbers, four pages with Roman numbers, and four pages without numbering. The book indicates the number of illustration inserts, four of which are missing.
The library housed not only Russian but also popular foreign encyclopedias, including publications in German, which was one of the native languages of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Moreover, the encyclopedia served both as a source of knowledge to the members of the imperial family and as a teaching aid for the emperor’s children who studied various subjects and foreign languages.
A lot of effort was put into developing the imperial library in the Livadia Palace. It was packed with valuable and rare editions by Russian and foreign authors. There was particular emphasis on Russian classical literature, including the works of such authors as Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov, Anton Chekhov, and others. Members of the imperial family were avid readers with extensive reading preferences. The library also contained the works of the Crimean historian Arseny Markevich, chairman of the Taurida Scientific Archival Commission.
The Meyers Encyclopedia was printed in Leipzig, Germany. The book is bound in a hard cloth cover of a yellow-green color. The book is printed in a Gothic font. Its leather spine features gold embossing that shows the edition title, the volume number, and the range of German words covered in the volume (from A to Astigmatismus). The half-title page indicates the dictionary’s title, the volume number, and the range of words. The title page features the number of illustrations as well as the time and place of publication. The book block contains 904 pages with Arabic numbers, four pages with Roman numbers, and four pages without numbering. The book indicates the number of illustration inserts, four of which are missing.
