Today, to print a book, it is enough to charge the printer with ink and the right amount of paper. After waiting three minutes (or half an hour - here the power of the device plays a role), anyone who wishes will print the necessary book - even the Bible, even the Anarchist Cookbook. Previously, to carry out this kind of work, one would have to make much more effort and use much more resources, and only a few could carry out such an operation, including Ivan Fedorov.

Childhood and youth

There is no reliable information about the childhood of the first printer. According to historians, Ivan was born in 1510 in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Much of this date is based on the findings of the Soviet historian Yevgeny Lvovich Nemirovsky, who found a document indicating that between 1529 and 1532 Ivan studied at the Jagiellonian University, which is located in Krakow, the current capital of Poland.

Also, according to Soviet and Russian historians, the ancestors of the first printer were from the lands belonging to the current Republic of Belarus. After graduating from the Jagiellonian University in 1532, Fedorov was appointed deacon of the Church of St. Nicholas Gostunsky. Metropolitan Macarius himself becomes his direct leader in those years, with whom Ivan will have a long cooperation.

First printing house

In 1552, he made a landmark decision - to start printing books in Church Slavonic in Moscow. Before that, there were similar attempts to print books in Church Slavonic, but abroad.

The king ordered that a specialist in the field of printing, living in Denmark, be brought to him. This specialist was Hans Messingheim, who became famous for his work not only in his homeland. Under his leadership, the first printing house in Russia was built.

By decree of the king, printing presses and the first letters were brought from Poland - printed elements with symbols of the Church Slavonic alphabet. Later they were updated and supplemented by Vasyuk Nikiforov, who was invited by the tsar in 1556. Also, Nikiforov became the first Russian engraver - these are his works can be found in the surviving copies of books printed in that printing house.

Having established his expectations regarding book printing, Ivan the Terrible opens the Moscow Printing Yard, which functions and develops at the expense of the state budget. This event takes place in 1563.

Already next year, the first and, fortunately, preserved book of the printing court - "The Apostle" - will be published. Later it will be supplemented by the Book of Hours. In both cases, Ivan Fedorov takes an active part in the work, as evidenced by the imprint of the publications. It is believed that the king appointed him a disciple of Messingheim on the advice of Metropolitan Macarius.

It is not for nothing that the book of a religious nature became a full-fledged debut work of the publishing house, as in the case of Johannes Guttenberg. The church of those years was very different from the churches of today. Then the priority was the education of the people, and all textbooks in one way or another were connected with the sacred writings.

It is worth mentioning that the Moscow Printing Yard has been the victim of arson more than once. It was rumored that this was the work of copyist monks, who saw competition in printing that could reduce the need for them, or at least the cost of the services provided by the monks. In part they were right.

In 1568, by decree of Tsar Fedorov, he moved to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. On the way, Ivan stops in the city of Zabludovo, located in the Grodnyansky Povet. He was sheltered by the former military leader Grigory Khodkevich. Having learned about what Fedorov was doing, Khodkevich, as an acting statesman, asked the first printer to help with the opening of a local printing house. The opening of the Zabludovsky printing house took place in the same year.

Having printed several trial "books" (each of which had no more than 40 unnumbered pages and no imprint), the employees of the Zabludovskaya printing house, under the leadership of Fedorov, publish their first and, in fact, their only work - the book "The Teacher's Gospel". This happens in 1568-1569.

After that, the publishing house stopped working, because, according to Khodkevich, there were more important things to do. By these words, he meant changes in the civil and political life of the country associated with the signing of the Union of Lublin in 1569, which led to the unification of Lithuania and Poland into a single country - the Commonwealth.

This news did not please Fedorov, so he decided to move to Lvov to open his own printing house there. But even here disappointment awaited him - the local rich were not eager to invest their finances in printing, and Ivan did not find support in the person of the clergy - local priests were adherents of rewriting books by hand.

Nevertheless, Fedorov managed to get some money, and he began to print books, sell them in Lvov, Krakow and Kolomyia, and print new ones with the proceeds. In 1570 Fedorov published the Psalter.

In 1575, Ivan was offered the post of manager of the Derman Holy Trinity Monastery. Fedorov agreed to this position, believing that typography should be left in the past. However, two years later the first printer was busy building a new printing house at the request (and finances) of Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky.

The Ostroh printing house published a number of educational books: "ABC", "Primer" (a supplemented and revised edition of "ABC") and "Greek-Russian Church Slavonic book for reading". In 1581, the edition of the Ostrog Bible was published, which became the third landmark book in Fedorov's biography (the previous two - "Apostle" and "Psalter").

After the publication of the Ostroh Bible, Fedorov handed over the reins of management of the printing house to his eldest son, and he himself began to travel on business trips around Europe - he shared his experience with foreign colleagues, learned about new discoveries and developments, presented his projects to high-ranking persons (including the King of Germany Rudolf II). You can get acquainted with examples of Fedorov's works on the Internet - photos of the surviving editions are posted in the public domain.

Personal life

There is also practically no information about Fedorov's personal life. It is known that Ivan was married, and that he had two sons, the eldest of whom also became a book printer (and even received the corresponding nickname Drukar, translated from Ukrainian as “printer”). Fedorov's wife died before her husband's departure from Moscow. There is a theory according to which she died just during the birth of her second son. The baby also did not survive.

Death

Ivan died on December 5, 1583. It happened during another business trip to Europe. Fedorov's body was taken to Lviv, where he was buried in a cemetery located on the territory of the Church of St. Onuphrius.

• In those years when the first printer lived, the surnames in the current sense have not yet taken root. Therefore, on the imprint of his publications, as well as in individual business papers, Ivan signed differently: Ivan Fedorov ("Apostle", 1564), Ivan Fedorovich Moskvitin ("Psalter", 1570), Ivan, Fedorov's son, from Moscow (“Ostroh Bible”, 1581).
• In addition to church services and printing, Fedorov made multi-barreled mortars and cast cannons.

• Ivan Drukar - the son of Fedorov - died three years after the death of his father. This happened under unclear circumstances, but some sin against the same scribe monks (which is unlikely).
• There is a theory according to which Fedorov is far from the first book printer in Russia - they tried to print before, but the results were much worse, so the typographic craft did not take root from the first run.

Memory

• In 1909, a monument to Fedorov was erected next to the Printing House building.
• In 1933, the image of Ivan Fedorov first appeared on a stamp. Reappeared in 1983 and 2010.
• In 1941, director Grigory Levkoev shot the film Pioneer Ivan Fedorovich.

• 1977 was the year of the opening of the Ivan Fedorov Museum in Lviv. Later it was damaged by a group of religious fanatics, but the museum staff and volunteer assistants managed to restore the building and most of the exhibits.
• In 1983, the Mint issued a commemorative coin with Fedorov's profile in memory of the 400th anniversary of his death.
• In many cities of Russia and Ukraine there are streets named after Ivan Fedorov.

The report was read by novice Ekaterina Barmicheva
within the framework of the feast of the Orthodox book
in secondary school No. 10 in Polotsk and the monastic Sunday school

Among the remarkable builders of Russian culture, one of the first places is occupied by Ivan Fedorov, whose name is associated with the beginning of book printing in the Russian state.

By the middle of the 15th century, the Russian lands united around Moscow. In 1480, the last traces of political dependence on the khans of the Golden Horde were destroyed. The Russian state not only grew stronger politically, but also developed rapidly culturally. In connection with the general rise of the Russian national culture increased demand for the book. At that time, books in Russia were only in handwritten form. Rewriting books was considered an honorable and virtuous occupation, which was patronized by spiritual and secular authorities. By the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, the art of handwriting developed so much that, in addition to the scribes who worked at the monasteries, a whole class of scribes formed who worked for hire and offered the fruits of their labor for sale.

This was not the case in the southern and western lands. In the south, Slavic society and the Church felt a huge shortage of books destroyed by the conquering Turks. In the west, the development of Slavic writing was hindered by the Catholic Church, whose official language was Latin. Naturally, for the Catholic Church, Slavic writing was associated with Orthodoxy, which she oppressed in every possible way in the lands subject to her. Because of these oppressions, there were few scribes who were literate in Slavic, especially in comparison with their huge number in the Muscovite kingdom. By printing it was possible to get books much more and faster than by copying, so book printing immediately became in demand in the southern and western Slavic lands.

But soon in Russia there was a need for book printing. In the second half of the 15th century, it already gained significant distribution in the Slavic lands, in the Czech Republic the first printed book was published in 1468, in Poland at the end of the 15th century. The Krakow printing house printed five books in Church Slavonic. In Prague in 1517, the famous Belarusian cultural figure Georgy-Franciscus Skorina started printing the Bible in the Belarusian language. . Having moved from Prague to Vilna, Skorina founded a printing house in it, from which the first printed book of Belarus came out in 1525. In Montenegro, the first book in the Slavic language was printed in 1493, and in Serbia and Belgrade in 1553.

Preparations began for the organization of printing in Moscow. In 1552, the Danish king Christian III sent an ambassador with a letter to Ivan the Terrible, in which he urged the young sovereign to accept the Lutheran faith. He proposed to the tsar to allow his subject Hans Missenheim to print the Bible and two more Protestant books in several thousand copies translated into the native language, so that in this way it would be possible in a few years to promote the benefit of the Orthodox churches. Ivan the Terrible rejected the proposal of the Danish king. Protecting Russian culture, he did not want to give the organization of printing in Moscow into the hands of foreigners. Russian cultural figures, led by an inquisitive sovereign, were determined to organize the printing business in Moscow with their own forces and means.

In Russia, printed books appeared later than in the southern and western Slavic lands. This was due to the abundance of handwritten books and the scribes themselves. However, by that time, many errors had accumulated in the Holy and liturgical books due to numerous rewritings. By order of King John, measures were taken to prevent this. The oldest priests were instructed to oversee the correctness of the rewriting, but it was impossible to correct all the previously written books. And when in 1553 a lot of liturgical books were required for new churches in the conquered Kazan kingdom, only a few books out of the total amount purchased turned out to be without distortion.

Then the young king John thought about the organization of the printing business. The Monk Maximus the Greek, a famous preacher and translator of Greek books, convinced the king of the benefits of printing. The desire of the tsar to set up a printing house in Moscow was supported by his spiritual mentor, Metropolitan Macarius, who laid great expectations on printing, believing that with the help of it it would be possible to avoid distortions of church books. Metropolitan Macarius blessed the tsar for a new undertaking, saying that "the idea to start printing books in Russia was inspired by God Himself to the tsar."

It should be noted that in addition to supporters of printing, there were many of its opponents. Especially among the boyars, who were afraid of weakening their political significance and strengthening the authority of the tsarist government and the church. New trends in the book business caused a protest of scribes. Their work became unprofitable, the machine made it possible to print books faster and cheaper. The printers were accused of spreading heresy. However, the tsar and the printers paid little heed to this covert or overt opposition. The church was in dire need of liturgical books, the demand for which could not be fully satisfied by scribes. The development of Russian literature and writing, the interests of Russian culture urgently demanded the spread of book printing.

Encouraged in his undertaking, Ivan Vasilyevich began to bring his intention to fruition. He chose a place for the construction of the Printing Yard in the city center on Nikolskaya Street near the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The tsar did not spare money for the construction of a printing house and the provision of everything necessary. The arrangement of the printing house of Russian masters was taught by the Italians, who had already lived in Moscow since the second half of the 15th century. But book printing itself in Russia was introduced completely independently. Its main figure was the deacon of the Kremlin Church of St. Nicholas Gostunsky Ivan Fedorov, an absolutely remarkable man for his love for typography, to which he devoted his whole life.

Scientists have not been able to establish the exact date of Ivan Fedorov's birth. He is believed to have been born around 1510. . Some historians suggest that he studied at the University of Krakow. Ivan Fedorov was a highly educated person, a professional in his field. He was a connoisseur of all the intricacies of typography, he knew how not only to print books, but also to cast letters (metal letters) and cut matrices (forms for casting letters). After all, to print books it was necessary to have not only a printing press, but also to cast metal letters. Ivan Fedorov's assistant in Moscow was the printer Pyotr Timofeev Mstislavets (a native of the city of Mstislavl). Subsequently, he founded a large printing house in Vilna (modern Vilnius), which existed for 60 years and became famous for many remarkable publications.

Based on the testimony of the first printer, it is believed that the printing house in Moscow was opened in 1563. To start typographic activity, Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets produced and cast one font, using the drawing of a half charter. Font making is hard work. First, a matrix was made - a convex shape for each letter was cut out in hard metal, its copy was made by imprinting on softer metal, the resulting in-depth shape was called a matrix. By pouring metal into it, letters were obtained in the right amount. Then, from these letters, a text was typed, which required jewelry accuracy in observing the gaps between letters and words.

The first dated printed book in Russia appeared on March 1, 1564. It was printed in Moscow at the state printing house founded by Ivan the Terrible. The full name of the book is “Acts of the Apostles”, but its short name “Apostle” is better known. The typing of the first page of the book began in April 1563, and almost a year later, on March 1, 1564, the printing of the Apostle was completed. The first printer himself did a great deal of textological and editorial work on it, designed it according to all the rules of the paleographic art of that time. Having creatively reworked the ornamental techniques of the school of Theodosius Izograph (the leading designer of the Russian handwritten book of the early 16th century), Ivan Fedorov made in this book rich headlines for each section, colorful vignettes at the top of the pages, initial initials, typed it in a semi-statutory font developed on the basis of the handwritten Moscow letters from the middle of the 16th century.

At the beginning of 1565, Tsar John gave the order to start printing the second book, The Clockworker. So Ivan Fedorov laid the foundation for a great cultural cause. He put typographical business in Moscow very highly. The Italian merchant Barbarini, who visited the Printing Yard, was amazed at the skill of the Russians. Here is what Barbarini wrote to his homeland about the state of book printing in Moscow: “Last year they introduced printing ... and I myself saw with what dexterity books were already printed in Moscow.”

Meanwhile, Ivan Fedorov had opponents and envious people. They accused him of heresy, seeking to ruin the cause, as is characteristic of "evil-tempered, unlearned and unintelligent people." This forced Ivan Fedorov and his assistant Pyotr Mstislavets to flee "from the land and fatherland" to other unknown countries. But the enemies of printing failed to destroy the great work of the first printer. In 1568, the Moscow Printing House resumed its activities with the help of other printing masters - Nevyazha Timofeev and Nikifor Tarasiev.

The time of flight from Moscow of the first printers Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets is not exactly known. It probably happened after the publication of The Clockworker in 1565. In 1568, Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets were in Belarus, in Zabludovo, the estate of a major Belarusian magnate Grigory Alexandrovich Khodkevich. A staunch opponent of the unification of Lithuania and Belarus with Poland, Khodkevich, together with the entire Belarusian people, fought against Polonization. To support the Orthodox Church and protect the Belarusian people, he decided to print liturgical books in the Slavic language. Khodkevich offered the Moscow fugitives to set up a printing house on his estate. The proposal was accepted, and in 1568 the printing of the book "The Teaching Gospel" began in Zabludovo. It was printed quickly and was published with the same perfection as the Moscow Apostle. This book was the last that Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets published jointly. This is where their paths diverged.

In 1569, the Union of Lublin was concluded, which finally consolidated the unification of the Polish-Lithuanian state, after which relations with Moscow escalated, and Orthodoxy began to be gradually expelled from the state. It is clear that under such conditions, the educational activities of Ivan Fedorov became impossible. As a reward for his work, Khodkevich offered I. Fedorov a village that could feed his family, but the first printer refused this gift. And then, together with his son I.F., he moved to Lvov, where he had to become the founder of printing in Ukraine. After much trouble and overcoming various obstacles, Ivan Fedorov managed to organize a printing house in Lvov, in which at the end of February in 1573 he began printing the first book in the new place. However, it was not possible to continue the work begun in Lvov. The financial position of the first printer was greatly shaken. He got into debt to usurers and was forced to leave Lvov. At the suggestion of Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky, Ivan Fedorov came to his estate to set up a printing house. Prince Ostrozhsky was also an opponent of the unification of Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine with Poland and a defender of the Orthodox faith and the Ukrainian people from the onslaught of the Polish Catholic Church and the Jesuits.

From the beginning of 1577, the Ostroh printing house began to operate, and Ivan Fedorov began to print the famous Ostroh Bible in it. The Ostroh Bible is an outstanding monument of the book industry of the 2nd half of the 16th century, the most important edition printed in 1580-1581 after Ivan Fedorov moved to Ostrog.

In search of the necessary good translation of the Bible, Ivan Fedorov and Prince K. K. Ostrozhsky turned to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The Greek and Slavic lists for holding the “right” were brought from “Greek, Serbian and Slavic monasteries” and from the head of the entire Eastern Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah. As a result, the best version of the translation of biblical texts into Church Slavonic was made at that time. The printing process began in September 1580 and was completed on August 12, 1581. The title page is decorated with an apostle frame printed from an old board brought from Moscow. On the other side of the title page is the coat of arms of the Ostrozhsky princes.

The Ostroh Bible was published in a large circulation for that time - 1500 copies. The book was distributed in Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. Part of the circulation was sent to Moscow.

The Ostroh Bible was the last creation of the Moscow printer. After her, he no longer printed whole books.

Soon Ivan Fedorov returned to Lviv, where his family remained. Upon arrival in Lvov, at the end of 1582, he again organized a printing house, but he was unable to resume his dear business. December 5, 1583 Ivan Fedorov died. He died in complete poverty, his property was entangled in debts, from which he could not free himself until the end of his life. He was buried in Lvov in the Svyatoonufrivsky monastery. Currently, twelve printed editions of Ivan Fedorov are known - monuments of Russian typographic art. The fonts cast by Fedorov are perfectly readable, headpieces, endings, capital letters are distinguished by an amazing subtlety of work. Especially for the bible, small narrow headpieces and endings with floral ornaments were made, as well as many large white initials on a black background. The book contains many small ornaments made up of decorative cast stars, rosettes, leaves, berries, angel heads. The print is two-color. All of them are accompanied by the publishing mark of the first printer himself - the initials “I. F." A distinctive feature of Fedorov's books is the presence in them of the author's prefaces and afterwords, written in a lively colloquial language on behalf of the printer. They contain the history of the creation of his books, biographical information about the author-publisher.

After the departure of Ivan Fedorov to Lithuania, book printing was transferred from Moscow to Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, but returned to the capital at the end of the 16th century. Fedorov's students continued his work, publishing about 20 printed books.

In 1909, in the center of Moscow, where the Sovereign's printing house was located in the 16th century, a monument to Ivan Fedorov was erected (sculptor S. M. Volnukhin).

(real name - Ivan Fedorovich Moskvitin)

(1510-1583) Russian printing pioneer

We do not know where and when the boy was born, who was destined to go down in history under the name of Ivan Fedorov. However, the legend claims that this happened somewhere in the Likhvensky district of the Kaluga province. The only thing that is known for sure is that before the start of typography, Ivan Fedorov was a deacon of the church of St. Nicholas of Gostunsky, located on the territory of the Kremlin.

This means that he should have received a good education. Therefore, like many other clergy, he was engaged in teaching literacy.

Obviously, the position of a deacon contributed to the fact that Ivan Fedorov met Metropolitan Macarius, who noticed a capable young man.

There is documentary evidence that Ivan Fedorov studied at the University of Krakow and in 1532 received a bachelor's degree. In the fifties of the 16th century, he worked first as a clerk who prepared texts for typesetting, and then as a master in the newly opened anonymous printing house.

In 1560-1561, at the direction of Ivan IV, the construction of the first state printing house in Moscow was started. The king even ordered to build a special building for her. At the same time, work was underway to prepare a set of fonts and other equipment.

The printing of the first book began after the return of Ivan the Terrible from a military campaign that ended in the victorious assault on Polotsk. The first printers supported by the tsar successfully completed their difficult work and on March 1, 1564 they released the first accurately dated Russian book - "The Apostle".

Then Fedorov printed several more editions in Moscow. But this activity ran into unexpected resistance from the top of the Orthodox Church. It is curious that the printing house founded by him immediately became a kind of landmark, all the foreigners who were in Moscow at that time wrote about it.

Nevertheless, on October 29, 1565, Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets completed work on The Clockwork and left Moscow soon after. They moved to Lithuania and organized a printing house on the estate of the Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Khodkevich, which was located near the town of Zabludovo. There they printed the Doctrine Gospel, which was completed on March 17, 1569.

But the stay in Zabludovo did not last long. Soon Ivan Fedorov moved to Lviv, where he also founded a printing house. It was in it that he printed a new edition of the Moscow "Apostle", to which he attached the "Tale, where this drukarnya began" ("The Tale of Where the History of This Printing House Came From"), which he composed. It was the first memoir printed in the printing house. In the same printing house, the famous "ABC" by Ivan Fedorov was published, which became the first printed Russian textbook.

In 1578, Fedorov moved again, this time to Ostrog, where he carved a new type from metal according to his own drawings and used it to print the famous Ostrog Bible.

It should be noted that all of Fedorov's publications were richly decorated with wood engravings, as well as various ornaments. The first typographers sought to diversify the fonts and arrange them beautifully on paper, although little thought was given to the artistic side.

Fedorov came from the traditions of the Russian manuscript book, always richly decorated, elegant both inside and out. He not only cut out typefaces, but was also an excellent engraver, making spread illustrations for his books, an important novelty of that time.

From Ostroh, Fedorov again moved to Lvov. However, at that time he was engaged in completely different crafts: he cast cannons and even invented a multi-barreled mortar.

In 1583 the printer makes a trip to Vienna. Apparently, he wanted to get acquainted with European printing and learn more about the technical innovations in publishing. However, he failed to develop the information received. Returning after a trip to Lvov, Fedorov fell seriously ill and died.

The memory of the Russian first printer has survived to this day. Fedorovsky readings dedicated to him are now regularly held.

The first book printer in Russia bore the surname Moskovitin. But he became known to his descendants as Ivan Fedorov. The biography of this remarkable person is rich in events and travels, from which it is important to highlight the most significant details. These brief theses of the life of a great man became the basis for the creation of books on the topic "Ivan Fedorov, a biography for children." The biography of this man will be of interest to everyone who is interested in the development of Russian literature, primarily for young readers. The biography of Ivan Fedorov for children should indicate the main points of his activity as an associate and first printer. After all, the development of the Russian language is impossible to imagine without printed publications. And the name of the initiator of the Russian book is Ivan Fedorov.

short biography

Years of life of the first printer - 1510-1583. The exact date of birth of Ivan Moskovitin is unknown. His surname, most likely, did not come from a generic name, but from the place of birth. In those days, Rus was called a small principality, territorially assigned to the Commonwealth. The vast northern territories of modern times were known to foreigners as Muscovy.

It is known that at a young age, Ivan traveled a lot and studied at European universities. The literacy of Europeans struck Ivan Moskvitin - after all, by that time the printed book had been known in Europe for more than a century. The level of education was many times different from what Ivan Fedorov saw in his homeland. The biography would be incomplete without stories about the impression Europe made on him.

First printing house

An interesting biography of Ivan Fedorov for children must necessarily indicate the place of the first printing house, which was located on the territory of our country. The first printing workshop was opened in Moscow.

Its activities are strongly associated with the name of its owner, who called himself Ivan Fedorov. short biography This person indicates that he did not start this good deed alone, but together with a printer and partner, whose name was Pyotr Timofeevich Mstislavtsev. According to the decree of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, religious books were to be published in the printing house. Ivan Fedorov was appointed responsible for the sovereign's printing house. A short biography for children may indicate that the first printer was a jack of all trades - he cut out complex engravings using pear wood boards for this, he himself came up with a collection of fonts, he himself decorated his

"Apostle"

The first book they published was called The Apostle. The biography of Ivan Fedorov for children cannot ignore this colorful book. Amazing vignettes, crisp print, and gorgeous illustrations make this book a true work of art.

Many of the editions of The Apostle contain the printer's commentary. In them, the commentator shows himself to be a well-educated person, fluent in the literary norms of the Russian language of that time. Most of the comments were signed simply: "Ivan Fedorov." A brief biography of this person must necessarily indicate that he published his books not only at the behest of the sovereign. The main task of the author was to print the book "for the enjoyment of the Russian people." The first "Apostle" earned the full approval of the church and was published in 2000 copies. No more than 60 rarities have survived to this day.

"Hourmaker"

The second book published in the Moscow printing workshop was The Clockworker. Its authors were still Ivan Fedorov. The biography of the Russian book printer does not stop much at his second book. It is known that it was also a religious publication, and was allowed to print with the full approval of the Orthodox Church.

moving

The biography of Ivan Fedorov for children should not be based on the sad episodes of his life. For a number of reasons beyond his control, the printing business in Moscow had to be curtailed. Perhaps the reason for their departure was the immediate danger posed by the new soldiers of Ivan the Terrible - the guardsmen. The first printers left the limits of the Moscow principality and settled in the city of Zabludow, which is currently located on the territory of Poland. The glory of the first printers reached these distant places - Fedorov and Mstislavets were warmly welcomed in the courtyard of Hetman Grigory Alexandrovich Khotkevich. A great zealot of Orthodoxy and a supporter of the independence of the Principality of Lithuania, he offered his patronage to the first printers. Soon, under his patronage, a small printing workshop was founded, in which the publication of books in Church Slavonic was being prepared.

"Teaching Gospel"

The first errant edition was the Teaching Gospel, published in 1569. After its release, the paths of the first printers diverged - Mstislavets went to the city of Vilna, and Ivan Fedorov took over all the worries about the fate of the printing house. The biography of that period of life shows that the matter was put on a solid basis, and new books found their readers. It is important to know that in those days books were not only a source of knowledge, but also a means of investing capital. Printed products were very expensive, and enterprising rich people preferred to invest in books, not caring about what exactly was written in them. Be that as it may, the Doctrine Gospel showed the success of this undertaking, and Ivan Fedorov began to think over the publication of a new book.

"Psalter"

The year 1570 was the best of the entire period of life in Zdolbuniv. In this year, the famous "Psalter" was published in a large edition, decorated with a frontispiece engraving depicting the Israeli king David. This is one of the most luxurious editions of Fedorov, which he dedicated to his patron - one of the pages depicts the coat of arms of the Khotkeviches. Unfortunately, only four copies of this book have survived to our time - two of them are in Western Europe, one is in Russia, and one is in Ukraine.

The Union of Lublin put Hetman Khotkevich in a difficult position. He could no longer support the vital activity of the printing business, and was forced to refuse Fedorov support and patronage. The book printer left the hospitable Zabludów and moved to Lvov. Thus began the Lviv period of his work.

In 1574, the first printing workshop in Ukraine was founded in Lviv.

And again, Ivan Fedorov becomes the only author, proofreader and editor in it. A biography for children would certainly indicate the return of the book printer to his first creation - in Lvov, his first book was again "The Apostle". In Lvov, Fedorov owed no money or position to anyone, so the Lvov "Apostle" is the first of Fedorov's books, which has his own publishing mark. Here the first grammar textbook in Russian was published, which was called "ABC".

Work with Konstantin Ostrozhsky

Over time, luck left the first printer, and financial failures began to haunt him in Lviv. He was forced to curtail his activities and accept the invitation of a wealthy and influential magnate - Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky. The prince welcomed educated people and valued their company, so in his circle there was an alliance of learned people headed by Gerasim Smotrytsky. The Ostroh Academy functioned here, which really needed its own “drukarnya” - that was the name of the printing workshop in those days. Here Ivan Fedorov began preparing the publication of a unique Bible, which was supposed to overshadow all those available at that time. printed editions God's word.

In 1580, the Ostroh Printing House issued a New Testament with a Psalter. This is how the “Book-Collection of Necessary Things” appeared, the authors of which were Timofey Mikhailovich and Ivan Fedorov. Biography for children should indicate the content of this publication. In the "Book .." there was a short list of some phrases from the New Testament, indicating their location on the pages of the Gospels. The design of the "Book" is interesting - the title page of the publication was decorated with a huge gate, inviting the reader to discover the world of the book.

Ostrog Bible

Of course, the most famous edition of Ivan Fedorov during this period was the Ostroh Bible. This wonderful work is cultural heritage of all Slavic peoples, and a model of printing art. If it were necessary to publish the book “Ivan Fedorov. A short biography for children” — a photo of the Ostrog Bible would rightfully adorn its frontispiece.

There have been five editions of this excellent book. Ivan Fedorov improved his financial affairs and returned to Lviv at the height of his fame. Here he tried to reopen the printing workshop, but died without seeing the results of his undertaking. The children of the first printer and his students had a chance to open the Lviv printing house. Fedorov was buried at the Onufrievsky cemetery not far from the temple. The son and students of the first printer continued the work of Ivan Fedorov with dignity, but did not reach the fame of their teacher.

A great cultural achievement was the beginning of book printing in Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. The Russian first printer was Ivan Fedorov: he was born in the 20s of the 16th century, he died on December 6, 1583 in Lvov.

The construction of the first state printing house in Moscow was completed in 1563, and on March 1, 1564, the first book "The Apostle" was published here, the technical and artistic execution of which was excellent. In the future, the printing house printed several more books of religious content, then its activities were interrupted. Ivan Fedorov and his assistant Pyotr Mstislavets, persecuted by ecclesiastical and secular reactionaries, were forced to leave their homeland and settle outside its borders, becoming the pioneers of printing in Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Afterword of the "Apostle", printed by Ivan Fedorov in Lvov. 1574. The first failure did not stop Ivan the Terrible, and he started a new printing house in Alexander Sloboda. But printing developed relatively slowly.

Along with Ivan Fedorov, Marusha Nefediev, Nevezha Timofeev, Andronik Nevezha and his son Ivan, Anisim Radishevsky, Anikita Fofanov, Kondrat Ivanov should be named among the first Russian printers. Many of them were both engravers and type founders.

In 1803, when 250 years have passed since the beginning of Russian book printing and 100 years since the publication of the first Russian newspaper, the historian Karamzin said: "The history of the mind represents two main eras: the invention of letters and typography."

To call Ivan Fedorov the creator of the first Russian printing press is not enough.

He is a pioneer. The beginning of book printing in Russia is associated with his name.

The date and place of Ivan Fedorov's birth are not exactly known. He was born around 1520. The version about his origin from the Novgorod masters of the manuscript book can be considered reliable. The historical information related to the origins of Russian book printing is as follows. The first printed Slavic books appeared in the Balkans, but these were Glagolitic scripts, which in Russia in the 15th-16th centuries. did not have a walk. By the end of the XV century. the first four books in Cyrillic were printed in Krakow; two of them are dated 1491. The name of their printer is known - Schweipolt Feol. The Belarusian educator Francysk Skaryna began printing books in his native language in Prague in 1517. Moreover, seven books are known that were printed directly in Russia in the 50s of the 16th century, that is, ten years before the first printed Apostle.

However, neither the place nor the date of publication of these books, nor the names of their printers, has yet been established. "The Apostle" by Ivan Fedorov, published in 1564 in Moscow, is the first printed Russian book about which it is known who, where, why and when it was published. This information is contained in the annals on the weekend, or the title page of the book, as we will now say, and in the afterword by Ivan Fedorov.

In this afterword, and even more in detail in the preface to the second edition of the Apostle, Ivan Fedorov outlines the history of the creation of the Russian printing house, the history of the troubles and hardships that befell the first printer of the Russian book.

The first printing press in Moscow was opened in 1.563, and Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets were in it on April 19 of the same year.

Unlike the Western European ones, the Moscow printing house was not private, but state enterprise, funds for the creation of printing were released from the royal treasury. The organization of the printing house was entrusted to the deacon of the Nikolo-Gostunskaya church in the Moscow Kremlin, Ivan Fedorov, an experienced binder, copyist of books and carver-artist. The printing house needed a special room, and it was decided to build a special Printing Yard, for which they allotted a place near the Kremlin, on Nikolskaya Street. Ivan Fedorov, together with his assistant Peter Mstislavets, a Belarusian from Mstislavl, took an active part in the construction of the Printing House.

After the construction was completed, the organization of the printing house itself began, the design and manufacture of a printing press, the casting of type, etc. Ivan Fedorov fully understood the principle of printing with movable characters from the words of others.

It is possible that Fedorov visited Maxim the Greek at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who lived in Italy for a long time and personally knew the famous Italian printer Alda Manutius. However, hardly anyone could explain the printing technique to him in detail. Fedorov made numerous tests and eventually succeeded, he learned how to cast solid letters, type them and make prints on paper. Fedorov was undoubtedly familiar with Western European printed books. But creating the form of his printed letters, he relied on the traditions of Russian writing and Russian handwritten books. . The first printed "Apostle" is the highest achievement of the typographic art of the 16th century. Masterfully crafted font, amazingly clear and even typesetting, excellent page layout. In the anonymous editions that preceded the "Apostle", the words, as a rule, are not separated from each other. Lines get shorter and longer, and the right side of the page is curvy. Fedorov introduced spaces between words and achieved a completely even line on the right side of the page. The book contains 46 ornamental headpieces engraved on wood (black on white and white on black). Lines of tie, also engraved on wood, were usually printed in red ink, highlighting the beginning of chapters. The same role is played by 22 ornamental "letters", that is, initial or capital letters. Ivan Fedorov used a completely original, nowhere else found method of two-color printing from one printing plate.

In 1565 Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets published another book in Moscow - The Clockworker. Ivan Fedorov and his comrade in Moscow were highly visible and respected people. But the oprichnina, introduced by Ivan the Terrible, inspired them with great anxiety. “Many envy for the sake of many heresies plotted against us,” Ivan Fedorov later wrote, explaining his and Metislavets’ departure to Belarus, which then belonged to the Polish state of Lithuania. So Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets published only two books in Moscow, but this is quite enough for Ivan Fedorov to forever remain the first printer in Russia. Having a church deacon, Ivan Fedorov brought from Moscow not only his wife and children, but also the tools and materials necessary to continue printing.

Soon Fedorov and Mstislavets were able to resume work in Lithuania, on the estate of Hetman Khodkevich in Zabludovo. Here, in 1569, the Teaching Gospel was printed. Unlike Moscow, this book was not a liturgical book and was intended for home reading. In 1572, Ivan Fedorov moved from Khodkevich's estate to Lvov, despite the fact that Khodkevich, as a reward for his labors, gave Fedorov a village where the first printer could farm and live comfortably. But Fedorov abandoned a settled life, considering his printing activity as an apostolic ministry. (The apostles, which in Greek means "sent ones," were the disciples of Christ, whom he sent around the world to tell about himself.)

In Lvov on February 14, 1574, the first precisely dated printed book in Ukraine, the so-called Lvov Apostle, was published; the font and part of the headpieces in this book were borrowed from the Moscow "Apostol", but the endings and patterned initials were made anew. In the same year, in Lvov, Ivan Fedorov for the first time published a book for Russian children - "ABC".

The second edition of the "ABC" was published in 1576 in the city of Ostrog, where Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky invited Fedorov. In 1580, Fedorov published a New Testament Psalter in a small, easy-to-read format. This is the first book in Russian history, which is accompanied by an alphabetical index.

But the real feat of Ivan Fedorov was the colossal work on the complete Slavic Bible. This gigantic Work occupied 1256 pages. Fedorov and his assistants used not only the Greek, but also the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, as well as Czech and Polish translations. And the text of the Gennadiev Bible was put as the basis.

It is to this "Ostroh Bible," as historians now call it, that the Slavic biblical text, which exists in modern editions, goes back. Only an outstanding person was capable of such heroic work, and even for the first time in the history of Russia, Ivan Fedorov was just that. He was fluent in several languages ​​- Greek, Latin, Polish. He was well versed in the intricacies of Church Slavonic grammar.

The Ostroh Bible, published in 1580-1581, was Fedorov's last printed work. After the Bible, Fedorov published only Andrei Rymsha's "Chronology" - the first secular work printed in Ukraine. Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky lost interest in Fedorov's publishing activities, and the first printer again had to look for funds to continue his life's work.

During these years, Ivan Fedorov invents a collapsible cannon and is engaged in

improvement of hand bombards. In search of a customer, he sets off from Lviv on a long and difficult journey for those times - to Krakow and Vienna, where he meets with Emperor Rudolf II and demonstrates his invention to him. Rudolf II was completely satisfied with it, but he refuses the conditions put forward by Fedorov. Then Ivan Fedorov wrote a letter to the Saxon Elector Augustus: "... So, I know the art of making folding cannons ... each cannon of this kind, without exception, can be disassembled into separate, strictly defined parts, namely, fifty, one hundred and even, if necessary, into two hundred parts ... "The invention is not clearly stated in the letter, one can only judge that it was a multi-barreled mortar with interchangeable parts.

Returning to Lvov, Fedorov fell ill and on August 3, 1583 "fell into an illness unto death." Ivan Fedorov died in one of the suburbs of Lvov, which is called Podzamche. He died in poverty, having no means to redeem the printing property pledged to the usurer and printed books.

He was buried in the cemetery at the church of St. Onufry, the church belonged to the Lviv Orthodox Brotherhood. A tombstone was placed on Fedorov's grave with the inscription: "Drukar of books, unseen before." These words contain, perhaps, the most accurate description of the great deed accomplished by Ivan Fedorov.

Not much is known about the life and work of Ivan Fedorov. What we know about him is known from the books published by the master, or rather from the afterwords to them, which he wrote for each of his publications. The first accurately dated printed book in Russian, "Acts of the Apostles" ("Apostle"), was published in Moscow in the state printing house. This great event for Russia took place in March 1564. By order of Ivan IV in 1553, a large state printing house was established in Moscow - the Sovereign Printing House. Its leader was the deacon of the Nikolo-Gostunskaya Church in the Moscow Kremlin, Ivan Fedorov.

Work on the book lasted from April 19, 1563 to March 1, 1564. The publication of the "Apostle" and accepted the beginning of book printing in Russia. At the same time, a number of editions of the "anonymous" printing house, which worked in Moscow in the early 1950s, are known. XVI century, and, thus, Ivan Fedorov should be considered only the successor of book printing in Russia. Pyotr Timofeev Mstislavets (that is, a native of the Belarusian city of Mstislavl) helped Ivan Fedorov in the publication and design of the book. The book was printed in the "old printed" style, which Ivan Fedorov himself developed on the basis of the Moscow semi-statutory letter of the middle of the 16th century, and is richly decorated with ornaments. At the end of the "Apostle" a detailed afterword was placed, which told who printed, where, how and when the Moscow printing house was founded. In October 1565, Ivan Fedorov's next book, The Clockworker (Book of Hours), was published in two editions. "Hour" was a collection of prayers, which was used in worship; according to him, children were taught to read and write in Russia.

In 1566, with the consent of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich, the printers, taking with them some of the printing materials, left Moscow forever and moved to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The reason for the departure was attacks from the zemstvo clergy and boyars, as Fedorov himself later wrote in the preface to the Lvov edition of the Apostle in 1574, he experienced persecution from "many bosses and priests." Another reason for the departure of printers from Moscow was, in the face of the threat of creating a union-union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the Kingdom of Poland, the spread of the printed word for the purpose of Orthodox propaganda in Belarus and Ukraine. In 1569, on the estate of the great hetman Grigory Aleksandrovich Khodkevich, Zabludovo, printers at the expense of the latter founded a new printing house, where the "Teacher's Gospel" (1569) was printed - a collection of patristic words and teachings for Sunday and holidays and "Psalter" with "Hours" (1570). In these books, Ivan Fedorov for the first time called himself "Ivan Fedorovich Moskovitin", i.e. a native of Moscow. The last book was already printed by Ivan Fedorov alone, since Pyotr Mstislavets left for Vilna. From Lithuania, having experienced "all kinds of troubles and hardships, and the worst", Ivan Fedorov moved to Lvov. Here, in 1574, he published "The Apostle" and the first Slavic printed textbook - "ABC" (only one copy of the ABC edition has survived, which is currently stored in the library of Harvard University, USA).

Later, Ivan Fedorov founded a new, fourth in a row, printing house in the family estate of the Kyiv voivode Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich Ostrogsky - Ostrog. Here he published five editions - "ABC" (1578), "New Testament" and "Psalter" (1580), an alphabetical subject index to the New Testament. "The book is a collection of things that are most necessary in short for the sake of finding in the book of the New Testament according to the words of the alphabet" (1580), together with Gerasim Smotrytsky - a wonderful monument of world typographic art, the first complete Slavic Bible, called the "Ostrog Bible" (1580-1581) .) and the first printed calendar-leaflet on two pages "Chronology". Compiled by the Belarusian poet Andrey Rymsha, close to Prince Radziwill (1581). Books by Ivan Fedorov amaze with their artistic perfection, many of them are now kept in museums and private collections in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv and Lvov, as well as in Poland (Warsaw and Krakow), Yugoslavia, Great Britain, Bulgaria and the USA.