Turkestan Library of Ethnographer A.K. Geins
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The aim of this article is to reconstruct the subject composition of the personal library of Alexander Konstantinovich Geins (1834—1892) during his service in the Turkestan region, based on the inventories of the Central State Archives of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The study of the book collection of A.K. Geins allowed us to objectively evaluate the owner’s personal contribution to the development of science and the role of his book collection in the socio-cultural development of the region. Using the methods of historical and bibliographic analysis and a visual examination of library and archival collections, it was possible to consider little-studied issues related to the book collection of A.K. Geins, to determine its subject composition and design features. The personal library of A.K. Geins, purchased by order of K.P. von Kaufman in February 1870 for the Turkestan Public Library (now the National Library of Uzbekistan named after A. Navoi), consisted of books, brochures, periodicals, manuscripts, and collections of articles — a total of 306 titles (including four periodicals). One of the collection’s distinctive features was the predominance of foreign literature, both original and translated. This book collection is divided into 24 thematic sections. Its chronological coverage extends from the 18th to the 19th centuries. An inventory of the collection was compiled in 1870 by E. Savenkov. It contains the following information: author, title, date and place of publication (not always), as well as price information. Overall, the A.K. Geins library was a striking classic example of a personal book collection, combining the fundamental functions that justified its existence — informational and educational. The selection of books was primarily driven by the personal interests of its owner, but was also influenced by the reading trends of the period. An analysis of the subject matter of the books and periodicals in A.K. Geins’ personal library allows us to judge the universal nature of this collection and its great scholarly potential for the study of the Turkestan region.
Author: Evgenia V. Pshenichnaya
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416317153