Hvozdetska M. Scientific Catalogs of Cyrillic Old Prints as a Component of the Bibliography of Book Monuments

This thesis comprehensively studies the development of the bibliography of Cyrillic old printed monuments of the 15th – early 19th centuries, the peculiarities of the preparation of scientific catalogues and bibliographic indexes with their description throughout the time of their scientific processing to the nowadays in different countries. It is emphasised that Cyrillic old printed editions are an important component of the book heritage of humanity, the information about them described in catalogues and introduced into scientific circulation provides information on the history of book publishing, the art of book design and their distribution, the activities of regional printing houses and engraving. The Ukrainian and foreign historiography of bibliography of Cyrillic old printed editions is studied. The historiography of the issue includes bibliographic studies of a general nature, scientific investigations into the history of books and Cyrillic book publishing, the activities of individual printing houses, book monument studies, etc. The history of bibliography of Cyrillic old printed editions of different periods is characterised. The prevailing types of contemporary descriptions of Cyrillic old printed editions are determined. A periodisation of the bibliography of Cyrillic ancient printed monuments is offered: the pre-scientific period of accounting for Cyrillic books or practical bibliography (XI – until the end of the XVIII century), which is divided into two sub-periods: XI – the end of the XV century; XVII century – the end of the XVIII century, 2) the period of empirical accumulation of information about Cyrillic editions and copies (the end of the XVIII – the beginning of the XX century); 3) the actual scientific period of descriptive cataloging (1920s – the end of the 1970s); 4) analytical-synthetic (from the 1980s). The achievements of Ukrainian specialists in the sphere of bibliographic processing of ancient printed monuments as an important component of introducing Ukrainian printed heritage into the world scientific circulation are presented. It is mentioned that in the area of bibliographic processing of ancient printed monuments as an important component of the introduction of Ukrainian printed heritage into the world scientific circulation and the formation of national bibliography, the greatest achievement of Ukrainian researchers was the catalogue of old prints published in Ukraine in 1574–1800 (incl. Ya. Zapasko and Ya. Isayevych, 1981–1984). Nowadays, catalogues have been published describing the funds of individual collections, editions of printing houses or publishers (Kyiv-Pechersk, Pochaivsk, I. Fedorov, P. Mstislavets, M. Slozka, F. Skaryna) with an emphasis on the description of marginalia, valuable frames and covers. Grounded on the analysis of the species range of catalogues of old prints, it is concluded that the most complete information about the publication is contained in consolidated catalogues formed by chronology, type of printing, countries, printing houses. It is mentioned that bibliography of Cyrillic publications is developing not only as an independent phenomenon, the result of which is published scientific catalogues, but also as an auxiliary, accompanying scientific research, performing a bibliographic and, at the same time, scientific-auxiliary function by expanding bibliographic communication. It is summarised that in recent decades, the system of cataloguing Cyrillic old prints has been transformed with the involvement of the achievements of digitalisation, as a result of which electronic catalogues and databases of individual institutions and countries are being formed. For the future, the creation of broader combined resources with a description of Cyrillic old prints is relevant. Key words: old prints, bibliography of ancient Cyrillic books, Cyrillic old printed monuments, description of Cyrillic old prints, scientific catalog of Cyrillic old prints.