reference books of 1998-1999: a selection

Reference Books of 1998-1999: A SelectionAuthor(s): Laurence H. MillerSource: Slavic Review, Vol. 59, No. 3 (Autumn, 2000), pp. 712-718Published by:Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2697409 .

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REFERENCE BOOKS

Reference Books of 1998-1999: A Selection

Laurence H. Miller

This annual column is a collaborative effort of Slavic and East European specialist librari- ans at the Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Annotations are signed with the reviewers' initials: Robert Burger, Angela Cannon, Laurence Miller, Marek Sroka, Mary Stuart, Helen Sullivan.

General

Russisches Biographisches Archiv. Munich: K. G. Saur, 1997- ; Polskie Archiwum Biograficzne. Munich: K. G. Saur, 1992-95; Cesky biograficky archiv a slovensky biograficky archiv. Mu- nich: K. G. Saur, 1993-97; Siidosteuropdisches BiographischesArchiv. Munich: K. G. Saur, 1997- ; Baltisches Biographisches Archiv. Munich: K. G. Saur, 1995-98; Ungarisches Bi- ographisches Archiv. Munich: K. G. Saur, 1994-97; Jiidisches Biographisches Archiv. Mu- nich: K. G. Saur, 1994-96. All on microfiche.

These massive microfiche sets constitute one of the most important reference sources for Slavicists published in many years. Starting with the German set and followed shortly by the British compilation, K. G. Saur Verlag began issuing these biographical archives in the mid-1980s, and production has continued at a steady pace ever since. They have now completed, or are in the process of producing, more than thirty-five sets of biographical archives, each devoted to a particular country, region, or ethnic group. For each set, dozens or even hundreds of biographical reference sources were filmed and the entries assembled in a single alphabet. A list of sources on which the archive was based is provided, along with the title and contents pages and prefatory matter from each source, and each entry is accompanied by a citation to the original source. These sets, issued on both silver halide and diazo microfiche, typically contain biographical entries for thousands of per- sons, in some cases hundreds of thousands. The scope of the Slavic sets is considerably more modest than the American, German, or British versions, but the coverage is none- theless very extensive. The numbers of sources used for the titles listed above are: Russian 155, Polish 333, Czech and Slovak 213, southeastern European 208, Baltic 218, Hungarian 140, andJewish 102. In some cases the sources reproduced date from the seventeenth or eighteenth century, though most were published in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Polish, Czech and Slovak, Baltic, Hungarian, andJewish archives are complete, and a supplementary Polish series is already underway. The Russian (for biographees before 1917) and southeastern Europe archives are partially complete (shipped in segments as they become available), and a Soviet Biographical Archive has been announced.-MSt

Bosnia

Skolski rjecnik bosanskogjezika. By Dzevad Jahic. Trilogija o bosanskom jeziku, vol. 3. Sara- jevo: Ljiljan, 1999. 554 pp.

Slavic Review 59, no. 3 (Fall 2000)



Reference Books of 1998- 99 713

According to its introduction, this new dictionary of the Bosnian language is intended not for scholars but for the average Bosnian reader, for students, and for those interested in Bosnian culture. The compiler, DzevadJahi, is a South Slavic linguist and Bosnian na- tive. The dictionary contains approximately 15,000 entries with definitions and quotations that show usage. All entries are reproduced with accent marks and possible lexical variants if they exist. By means of symbols and abbreviations the sources for both the definitions and the quotations are indicated. The sources for the lexicon are historical and contemporary Bosnian writings, the spoken language, and the compiler's own linguistic competence. This dictionary claims to be more comprehensive than two earlier Bosnian dictionaries by Skaljic and Isakovic, but the compiler stresses that, due to the current de- velopmental state of the Bosnian language and the intended scholastic audience for this dictionary, complete inclusion was impossible. The dictionary opens with almost 70 pages of interesting introductory articles on various aspects of the development of the Bosnian language.-AC

Lithuania

Lietuvit kalbos enciklopedija: Lithuanian language encyclopedia. Ed. Kazys Morkilunas and Vytautas Ambrazas. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijv leidybos institutas, 1999. 745 pp.

The main emphasis of this work is biographical, but there are also articles on linguistic so- cieties, journals, specific dictionaries, and other aspects of the Lithuanian language. Most of the biographies include portraits and brief bibliographies. Many cross-references are provided, but there is no index.-LM

Poland

Polish Independent Publications, 1976-1990. By Maciej Siekierski, with Christopher Lazarski. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 1999. v, 506 pp.

The present guide, an updated and expanded version of Guide to the Polish Independent Publications, 1976 -1 990 in the Hoover Institution Archives (1995) consists of 2,428 serials and 1,376 monographs published from 1976 to 1990. The guide is not a bibliography of independent Polish publications but rather an alphabetic list of works housed in the Hoover Institution Archives, and it includes only holdings and information on the frequency of publication. It should be noted that 90 percent of Hoover's Polish serials collection consists of original issues, rather than later photocopies. The guide is a great resource for scholars interested in the Polish independent press, but providing subject and name indexes would further improve access to the Hoover Institution's collection.-MSr

Romania

Dictionarul etnologilor romdni. By lordan Datcu. Orizont Enciclopedic. Bucharest: Editura Saeculum, 1998. Vol. 1, 319 pp. and Vol. 2, 327 pp.

This scholarly biobibliographical dictionary of Romanian ethnologists updates and greatly expands earlier biographical reference works covering the topic. Folklorists, geogra- phers, linguists, musicians, musicologists, historians, anthropologists, publicists, literary figures, and others from all periods are included. Many of the articles are long with ex-



714 Slavic Review

tensive bibliographies, and a large number of portraits are also included. A brief basic bibliography and list of sources introduces volume 1, and a personal name index concludes volume 2.-LM

Russia

Biblioteki vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii Rossiiskoi Federatsii: Spravochnik. Ed. E. V Ivanova. Mos- cow: Logos, 1998. 352 pp.

Not since 1964 has a guide to the libraries of the postsecondary schools in Russia been published. This volume is intended to fill that gap. Each entry includes the official name of the institution; the year it was established and its address; the name of the director; phone, e-mail, and fax numbers; the square footage and seating capacity of the library; and an overview of the collection. There is also a detailed description of the special fea- tures of each collection that gives the scholar specific information on the archival collections at each library. The volume is divided into sections by type of institution: university; academy; institute, postsecondary school, or conservatory; and nonstate institute of higher education. An index presents the institutions by city, and there is also an index of personal names. The latter is useful in identifying collections with archival material of special interest.-HS

Istoriko-toponimicheskii slovar' Rossii: Dosovetskii period. By E. M. Pospelov. Otechestvo, Kraevedcheskii al'manakh. Moscow: Profizdat, 1999. 219 pp.

This handy dictionary of Russian place-names focuses on the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. A 12-page bibliography and a 7-page index of place-name changes conclude the volume.-LM

Kniga: Entsiklopediia. Chief editor, V M. Zharkov. Moscow: "Bol'shaia Rossiiskaia Entsiklo- pediia," 1999. 796 pp.

Similar in size and format to the one-volume encyclopedia, Knigovedenie (1982), this work uses much of the material from the earlier publication, while at the same time seek- ing to rid itself of the ideological bias that permeated its predecessor. More than 300 scholars contributed to this volume, covering all aspects of book studies, including history of the book, the book arts, publishing and publishing houses, the book trade, libraries, bibliography, and more than 900 prominent historical figures. Major articles on book marketing, publishing by the Russian emigration, liturgical books, and historiography of the book, as well as a much expanded international scope, distinguish this work from the earlier encyclopedia. All articles are signed and include bibliographical references. The volume is ex- tensively illustrated, with many color illustrations; a single index includes personal names, institutions, organizations, and serial publications.-MSt

Migratsiia naseleniia v postsovetskikh gosudarstvakh: Annotirovannaia bibliografiia rossiiskikh izdanii 1992-1997gg. Moscow: Moskovskii tsentr Karnegi, 1998. 185 pp.

This bibliography contains an annotated classified list of Russian publications that were issued from 1992 to 1997. Sponsored by the Soros Foundation's Open Society Institute, this work purports to be the first specialized bibliography of articles on migration to appear in Russia that specifically treats migration processes that occurred during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of the newly independent states. The editors arranged the articles in twelve sections, two of which are characterized by form (reference literature, books and collected works) and ten by topic (migration law, Russian regions, ethnomi- gration processes, labor migration, and so on). Some articles are cross-listed in as many as three sections. A name index provides access by author and editor.-RB




Morskoi biograficheskii spravochnik Dal'nego Vostoka Rossii i Russkoi Ameriki XVII-nachalo XX vv. Comp. B. N. Bolgurtsev. Vladivostok: Ussuri, 1998. 232 pp.

More than 650 officers of the Russian navy, employees of the Russian-American Com- pany, administrators of eastern Siberia and the Far East, foreign explorers, and commer- cial navigators are included in this biographical dictionary. Detailed information drawn from the service records and pension files, including commands, postings, campaigns, battles, promotions, and awards, is provided for naval personnel who served in the Pacific for five or more years, as well as all commanding officers of the Siberian fleet and Pacific squadrons and detachments, and commanders of major ports and military governors. Ap- pended is a list of archival and published sources consulted, a personal name index, and a list of geographical names and name changes.-MSt

Professora i doktora nauk Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta im. M. V Lomonosova: Biograficheskii slovar' 1997. Moscow: Knizhnyi dom "Universitet," Bank dannykh i znanii MGU im. M. V Lomonosova, 1998. 679 pp.

This dictionary includes more than 1,800 biographies of professors and doctors of science who worked at Moscow State University (MGU) during the 1996-1997 academic year. This effort continues a series of similar publications that began in 1855 with the first such biographical dictionary of the faculty of MGU. The biographical sketches are arranged in alphabetical order. In addition, an alphabetical index by department and a list of commonly used abbreviations are included to provide additional assistance in locating the desired information.-RB

Russkaia periodicheskaia pechat': Ukazateli soderzhaniia, 1728-1995. Comp. N. V Nitkina. St. Petersburg: Rossiiskaia natsional'naia biblioteka, 1998. 799 pp.

The earlier version of this basic work by Iu. I. Masanov, N. V. Nitkina, and Z. D. Titova was Ukazateli soderzhaniia russkikh zhurnalov i prodolzhaiushchikhsia izdanii 1755-1970, and its supplements for 1971-1985, 1986-1993. These volumes have been essential resources for any scholar interested in finding indexes to periodical literature in a particular field of research. This guide updates and expands these works and maintains the original method- ology. As in the earlier volumes, only publications that index periodicals are included. Similarly arranged, this resource divides the periodical indexes into two main sections. The first lists those indexes that reference more than one periodical title. The second is a list of indexes to individual periodicals, arranged alphabetically by the periodical title in- dexed. Most of the 3,454 entries are annotated with detailed information on the coverage and access points included in the indexes. All indexes were examined de visu. The compiler has included a personal name index, a subject index, and an index of organizations.-HS

Sovet narodnykh komissarov SSSR, Sovet ministrov SSSR, Kabinet ministrov SSSR, 1923-1991: Entsiklopedicheskii spravochnik. Comp. S. D. Garniuk. Moscow: Izdatel'stvo ob"edineniia "Mosgorarkhiv," 1999. 551 pp.

The history of Soviet government organs from the creation of the Soviet Union through its dissolution is presented in this one-volume guide issued by the Association of Moscow Archives. Following a historical overview of the Soviet government, the main body of the guide is divided into two parts. The first section consists of an alphabetical listing of the superordinate government organs and their top administrators in chronological order, covering Sovnarkom, the narkomaty and ministries, state committees and other government bodies, and the governments of the republics. The second section is an alphabetical listing of members of the upper echelons of the government, defined here as Sovnarkom, the Council of Ministers, and the Cabinet of Ministers. Detailed biographical information is provided for each of the 671 individuals in this section, including birth and death dates, place of birth, social origins, higher education, work history, military service, honorary titles, party offices held, circumstances of death, and place of burial. The volume con-



716 Slavic Review

cludes with an alphabetical index of government bodies included in the guide, an alphabetical name index, and a list of archival fonds and published sources consulted in the preparation of the volume.-MSt

Tsentraltnye arkhivy Moskvy: Putevoditel' pofondam. Ed. I. G. Tarakanov. Moscow: Izdatel'stvo ob"edineniia "Mosgorarkhiv," 1999. Vol. 1,;361 pp.; Vol. 2, 268 pp.; Vol. 3, 334 pp.

This excellent guide contains descriptions of some 1,750 archival fonds concerning Mos- cow's institutions, government bodies, and businesses. Biographies of the people and activities of these organizations from the eighteenth century to 1990 are contained in these documents. The guide includes the archival materials of Soviet government agen- cies in Moscow, the Communist Party, and the Komsomol, as well as those relating to the imperial government. The entries for the fonds are organized by subject. Volume 1 includes materials for those institutions related to government and politics. Volume 2 has materials related to economic institutions. Volume 3 is devoted to materials on educa- tional and social organizations. Each subject section in the volumes begins with an essay on the organization of the institutions within that particular area. The entries for each fond include the full name of the institution and its acronym, the date of its establishment, its previous names, the number of items in the fond, and a detailed description of the contents of the fond. Each volume has its own index of institutions, personal names, geo- graphic names, and numeric list of fonds. There is also a list of acronyms for each volume. The guide has information on the fonds of the central archives of Moscow: the historical archive (formerly Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv, TsGIA), municipal (formerly Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv Oktiabr'skoi revoliutsii i sotsialisticheskogo stroitel'stva), and social movements (formerly Moskovskii partiinyi arkhiv) which are now in the Mosgorarkhiv.-HS

Vedushchie nauchnye shkoly Rossii. Ed. Sovet po grantam Prezidenta Rossiiskoi Federatsii dlia podderzhki nauchnykh issledovanii molodykh rossiiskikh uchenykh-doktorov nauk i gosudarstvennoi podderzhke vedushchikh nauchnykh shkol Rossiiskoi Federatsii. Moscow: Ianus-K, 1998. Vol. 1, 624 pp.

This unique reference work is not a biographical dictionary, not a directory of Russian "scientific schools," and not a guide to research in Russia, yet it is a combination of all three. It is not a biographical dictionary, yet it contains portraits of the leaders of the "scientific schools" along with a list of their accomplishments and their birth year. It is not a directory of these research groups, yet it lists almost 600 that are receiving federal grant support and includes the grant number, their members (including years of birth), their founder, their research program, and an indication of their work with students. Finally it is not a guide to research in Russia, yet it presents these research.groups, classified by major field, such as: mathematics, mechanics, informatics; physics and astronomy; chemistry; biology and medical sciences; earth science; humanities and social sciences; engineering and technical sciences. The volume also includes a name index of leaders and other summary information about the "scientific schools." A planned second volume will describe other schools of crucial importance for future federal financial support.-RB

Vsemirnyi biograficheskii entsiklopedicheskii slovar' By V I. Borodulin et al. Moscow: "Bol'shaia Rossiiskaia Entsiklopediia," 1998. 925 pp.

Some 25,000 biographees are represented in this one-volume universal biographical dictionary. Though international in scope, the volume is heavily weighted toward per- sons from Russia and the former Soviet Union, including relatively minor figures who would not be found in a universal biographical dictionary published in North America or western Europe. (The entry for the Russian mezzo-soprano Mariia Alekseevna Olenina- D'Al'geim contains roughly thirty words, compared to only ten words for President Bill Clinton.) The brief entries highlight sphere of activity, major accomplishments, citizen- ship (rather than ethnicity), and, for authors, major publications.-MSt




Slovenia

Slovenija: Pokrajine in Ijudje. Ed. Drago Perko. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1998. 735 pp.

This atlas of Slovenia is divided into five parts: a general section covering all of Slovenia and four regional sections -the Alpine, Mediterranean, Pannonian, and Dinaric. Each regional section begins with general information on the entire region before it is further subdivided into smaller regions. The regions are discussed and illustrated with attractive tables, maps, and color photos. The information available in this book ranges from climate and mineralogical data to population statistics. Separate indexes that cover the regions, authors, photographers, content of the maps, and subjects in the text provide many access points to the voluminous data included in the atlas.-AC

Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti ob sestdesetletnici: Biografski zbornik. Ed. Janez Ores- nik. Ljubljana: Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, 1998. 441 pp.

Founded in 1938, the Slovene Academy of Arts and Sciences issued this biographical handbook of its members as part of its sixty-year jubilee. Biographies of the members are grouped according to the six divisions in the Academy and then are subdivided within each division by member status: regular, extraordinary, or corresponding. An integrated alphabetical index of all current members is provided as well as a section for deceased members. The entries for deceased members are very brief, whereas the entries for current members are more extensive, about a page and a half plus a photograph. Unfortu- nately, bibliographies of the members' works are not included.-AC

Slovenski kdoje kdo. By Drago Bajt. Ljubljana: Nova revija, 1999. 655 pp.

This Slovene Who's Who comprises about 3,000 entries for living Slovenes working in Slovenia and abroad. The individuals included are active in a wide range of professions, from athletes and artists to scientists and scholars. The body of the book contains alphabetically arranged entries in Slovene that provide brief biographical data for each individual including birth date, profession, and a list of works by title. At the back of the book is an index of these individuals grouped by profession. Over ten years in the making, this volume is the latest biographical dictionary for Slovenes since the publication of Kdo je kdo za Slovence in 1993. Compiled by the literary scholar and translator Drago Bajt, it would be a valuable addition to any Slavic collection.-AC

Ukraine

Ievrei v Ukraini: Naukovo-dopomizhnyi bibliohrafichnyi pokazhchyk, 191 7-1941. Etnosy Ukrainy. Kiev: Knyzhkova palata Ukrainy, 1999. Vol. 1, 185 pp.

Work on this bibliography, which covers all aspects of Jewish culture in Ukraine, began in the 1920s. Most of the books and articles listed are in Ukrainian, Yiddish, Polish, and Russian. In its 4,171 mainly unannotated entries, volume 1 encompasses most fields of inquiry, including literary criticism. Volume 2 will be devoted almost entirely to literary works.-LM

Iurydychna entsyklopediia. Ed. Iu. S. Shemshuchenko. Kiev: "Ukrains'ka entsyklopediia im. M. P. Bazhana," 1998-99. Vol. 1, 669 pp. and Vol. 2, 741 pp.

This law encyclopedia is being published under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. These two volumes contain 3,254 entries that deal with various aspects of the law and the state, including topics related to both international and Ukrain- ian law, as well as numerous biographical entries for Ukrainian jurists. Some entries include short bibliographical references.-MSr



718 Slavic Review

Politychni partii Ukrainy. Kiev: K.I.S., 1999. 596 pp.

All political parties that were registered with the Ministry ofJustice for the 1999 presidential elections have entries in this handbook. The parties are arranged alphabetically. Each entry provides a wealth of information by and about the party, including its official name, address, telephone and fax numbers; its general position statement; which members hold national office; its regional organizations with contact information; and policy statements on political, economic, social, and other issues. After the list of parties, there is a section on the 1999 presidential candidates with summary biographical information and an official platform statement for each.-RB

Ukrainski arkhivisty. By 0. M. Koval, I. B. Matiash, and V. S. Shandra. Kiev: Ukrains'kyi Derzhavnyi Naukovo-doslidnyi instytut arkhivnoi spravy ta dokumentoznavstva, 1999. Vol. 1, 367 pp.

The first volume of this biobibliographical dictionary of Ukrainian archivists covers the nineteenth century up through 1930. Each entry includes a short biographical note, a bibliography of works by and about a given archivist, and information on archival holdings pertaining to each archivist. Volume 2 will cover archivists of the 1930s and 1950s, and volume 3 will deal with the 1960s through the 1990s.-MSr



reference books of 1998-1999: a selection

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