Each of us knows that a book is an easily accessible tool of knowledge. If necessary, we turn to the library and absorb new information. But it was not always so. This method was available only to the elite.
Ivan Fedorov is a pioneer who made a huge contribution to the development of literature in Russia. We owe it to him that several centuries ago books became available to the entire population, and not just to nobles. In XVI, he began his difficult journey, which went against the opinions of scribes of books and undermined their economic well-being. But Ivan Fedorov did not give up and today has done more for the literacy of his people than those who live before and after him.
Previously, books were written manually, it was he who introduced the press. We will analyze 10 interesting facts in the biography of the first printer Ivan Fedorov, which you need to know not only for students in grade 6, but also for every literate person.
10. Streets in 5 cities of Russia and Ukraine are named after him
Contemporaries appreciated Fedorov's contribution to the development of the Russian people and, in addition to the erected monuments, did him honor in many ways. In many cities of Russia there are streets that bear the proud name of Ivan Fedorov. You can walk along them in:
- Volgograd;
- Kazan;
- Kiev;
- Lviv;
- Berdichev.
9. In addition to printing books, he made a discovery in the casting of weapons
In addition to books, this literate man made discoveries in other areas. It was necessary to earn money for publishing printed pages by casting artillery pieces. Apparently, Ivan Fedorov was so carried away by the activity that great hopes were placed on his personal inventions. Fedorov proposed to fasten a series of gun barrels of a rather small caliber in several rows located one above the other on a common frame, allowing simultaneous aiming of a large number of barrels at a given object.
8. His son became a bookseller
Ivan Fedorov had several children, this is not an established fact, but his son is referred to in documents as “elder”. And the eldest is not the only one. His name was "Drukarevich", which meant "son of a printer."
Having moved to Lviv, Fedorov again faced competition from scribes. They firmly obstructed his cause. After Ivan was invited to Ostrog, his son stayed in Lviv and continued his father’s occupation.
Ivan’s son told the Lviv Apostle how difficult it was for him in Moscow. He suffered great bitterness and hatred from the priests and teachers. They hated him, envied him, accused of deliberate deviations and wanted to destroy the book “God's Work”.
7. Thanks to him, spaces appeared between the words
Few people know, but the appearance of spaces between words, we owe it to Fedorov. Before the publication of the book “Apostle”, words were written together, only sentences were separated by dots. The first printer did everything to make the text easy to read and make the eyes as comfortable as possible. Agree this is much more convenient and the speed of reading has increased significantly.
6. It took 11 months to print the first book
By order of Ivan the Terrible, the first printed book in Russia, “The Apostle”, was released. In this edition, everyone admires: font, layout, clarity, literacy. But over the creation of this masterpiece, they spent almost a year. Work was carried out from April 17, 1563 to March 1, 1564. The circulation was 1000 copies, almost 50 have survived to our times. All of them are in museums in different parts of Russia.
5. Was forced to leave the country due to pressure from the authorities
All his life, Ivan Fedorov considered himself a Muscovite. But after the founding of the printing yard by decree of Ivan the Terrible and the publication of printed books, envoys and ill-wishers appeared at the first printer. They accused him of heresy and persuaded him to leave the country. So, Ivan Fedorov and Mstislavets go to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the city of Zabludov (now in Poland, near Bialystok).
There he was received with all honors and he immediately set to work. In Lviv, Ivan experienced many difficulties associated with publishing. To continue his business, money was needed, which at that time the first printer did not have. Addressing prosperous merchants, Fedorov received only refusals. Help was provided only by priests and city parishioners.
4. The surname of Ivan Fedorov may be different
In those days, there were no names in the modern sense, and Fedorov often signed in different ways. Therefore, determining the exact information is very difficult. He signed some publications according to tradition. — paternal naming. In others, he added a nickname by origin. There are about a dozen options. On his tombstone is written Іоан Ѳеодорович друкур Moskvitin.
3. He had a difficult relationship with the clergy
There was no end to the attacks by the printers, and after the publication of the book “Hourly Book,” Fedorov’s printing house was burned by an ignorant clergy. This is one of the main reasons for the departure of the first printer from Moscow. The feud between the clergy and printers is justified by the economic situation. Printed books significantly knocked down the price of census takers.
Another version of the clergy attacks on Fedorov was disobedience. Ivan belonged to the white clergy and widowed, did not cut his hair. What caused a lot of discontent in his address.
2. Printed the first complete Bible in Church Slavonic
Having settled in Ukraine and having built a fourth printing house, Ivan Fedorov set about printing the first Slavic Bible. Most of all, it is known as “Ostrog”.
The Ostrog Bible is the first complete Bible in Church Slavonic. It is printed in large, the latest font for that time, over 600 pages. This is a masterpiece of technical performance and artistic taste. The circulation of this book amounted to more than 1000 copies, which at that time was incredibly large. Today you can find 300 copies of the original editions. Boards of Ivan Fedorov with the font he developed for this book were kept for a long time by his students even after death. Some have been used for work for almost 200 years.
March 14 is a holiday dedicated to this event. It is officially celebrated throughout the Russian Church.
1. Monuments were erected in his honor in many cities of Russia
The unimaginable contribution of Ivan Fedorov was appreciated by descendants. Monuments in many cities of Russia were erected in his honor. He laid the first stones in the foundation of a competent future and its active distribution throughout the territory. Despite the difficult path, the first publisher achieved his goals, which provided a great service to all of us.