Treasures of the Area Studies Collections: Reconsidering Primary Sources and Collections
Slavic, East European, and Central Asia
Yale University Library was among the first in the United States to collect Slavic materials systematically. Joel Sumner Smith, its Associate Librarian in the late 19th century, was one of the very few in his profession who read Russian. The books and serials he acquired today form the core of one of the major holdings in the west.
Primary subject areas collected are in the humanities and social sciences, with an emphasis on acquisition of materials from Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltics, and other countries in Eastern Europe. While Russian language holdings constitute the majority of the collection (approximately 40%) and Polish holdings are also strong (close to 20%). All Slavic languages are represented, and publications in German, English, and other western European languages published in the Slavic and East European imprint area are also acquired. The Slavic & East European Collection is also responsible for collecting materials published in the fields of Russian and East European studies (primarily history and all humanities disciplines) published in North America, Europe, and other imprint areas outside of Russia and Eastern Europe. Materials from the republics in Central Asia are not actively collected, but may be acquired on request. Note that materials related to the Russian and East European diaspora in the United States are acquired by the Librarian for American History.
One of the oldest Slavic Collections in the United States, the Yale's collection has a rich history stretching back to its foundation in 1896 through a gift from Joel Sumner Smith. Today, significant holdings include:
Check out the Research Guide for Slavic, East European, and Central Asian Studies to learn more.
Pictorial Map of WWI
This multilingual map of the Great War plays on a trope that was popular in mapmaking during the Age of Imperialism – the depiction of countries as representative animals or anthropomorphized stereotypes. Here, the various actors of WWI are depicted as soldiers in uniform, with the exception of Germany as a giant bulldog in military regalia. The map is approximately dated to the earliest days of the war in 1914, as evidenced in part by America’s passive observation of hostilities. These caricature maps are popular collectors’ items not only for their visual appeal, but also for the ways in which they reveal aspects of cultural life and popular opinion in the period of Western imperial expansion.
Gollivud: Amerikanskii kino-gorod
Among Yale’s plentiful holdings on Soviet life, there is a significant amount of material relating to Soviet theater and filmmaking, dating back to its earliest development. In the early Soviet period, directors, writers, and other artists paid attention to cinematic developments in the West and cultivated interest in the great stars of the era, including the comedians Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the famed dramatic actresses Lillian Gish and Gloria Swanson, and many others. One Soviet writer interested in American cinema was Alisa Rosenbaum, later known as Ayn Rand. This pamphlet, titled Hollywood: the American movie city, was published the same year Rand relocated to the United States and embarked on a screenwriting career. Though she would become much more well-known for her novels and Objectivist philosophy, she remained an active presence in the world of Hollywood as, among other things, a member of the anti-Communist Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals.
Romanov family photo albums
These six photo albums depict the moments in the lives of Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia, and his wife and children, in the years before the Russian Revolution of 1917 brought an end to imperial rule and ushered in the Soviet Union. Following the royal family’s arrest, imprisonment, and eventual execution, their fate sparked a worldwide fascination – particularly due to rumors that one of the royal daughters, Anastasia, had managed to survive. The albums were donated to Yale by an alumnus named Robert D. Brewster, along with other mementoes of the Romanovs such as books and personal correspondence. The original albums, some bound in velvet and containing keepsakes and souvenirs, are not available for researchers to use due to their fragile condition, but facsimile copies were made for research use and can be requested in the Beinecke Reading Room at any time.