The lifetime publication of Pushkin from the Volkovsky collection was found in Nizhny Novgorod.

      A Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian came across an unfinished version of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila."

      Photo: Oleg Ryabov

      The "Textbook of Russian Literature" published in 1820, which contained the first publication of Alexander Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila," was discovered at home by antiquarian, publisher, and writer Oleg Ryabov from Nizhny Novgorod. He reported this to the news agency "Vremya N."

      He noted that this is not the canonical text of the poem, but rather its unfinished version, which had a different title at that time — "Lyudmila and Ruslan." Oleg Ryabov's report on this publication caused a stir among book rarity enthusiasts at the last meeting of the "National Union of Bibliophiles." "I talked about how I found the book at home. Completely unexpectedly. I knew that I had this book, it was not needed by me. I wanted to part with it, but when I opened this textbook created by Nikolai Grech in 1820, I saw that it contained the first publication of 'Ruslan and Lyudmila,'" he shared. According to him, 10 years ago, two volumes of the "Textbook of Russian Literature" were brought to his shop, of which only four were published. A person reported that he inherited a library from his grandfather and was ready to overwhelm the antiquarian with old books. Oleg Ryabov purchased the second and third volumes. He thought the seller would bring the first and fourth as well, but he never appeared again. "A year later, I took these two volumes home, shoved them on a shelf, and they lay with me for 10 years. This year I decided to get rid of them and accidentally opened the third volume to the publication of Pushkin. By that time (1820), the poet had not yet published any book. This volume was signed for printing by the censors in May 1820. And the poem 'Ruslan and Lyudmila' (12+) was only published in August of the same year. Pushkin was still writing the poem at that moment, or rather, finishing it. In the version that he published in this almanac and which is before us, it is an excerpt from the poem," the interlocutor of the agency explained. Ryabov's message was met with enthusiasm by representatives of the National Union of Bibliophiles. Oleg Alekseevich also talked about his bibliophilic research on the book rarity. "I was very interested in who owned this book. There was a stamp 'KPV' on the title page of the book. At first, I thought it was a book of Pyotr Vyazemsky. But quite accidentally, while flipping through a collection of scientific articles published in the Smolensk Regional Library, I discovered that there is a study of this ex-libris," he explained. As Oleg Ryabov found out, the ex-libris belonged to Pyotr Volkonsky. Pyotr Volkonsky used this stamp for his library from 1820 to 1840. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find out how the book ended up in Nizhny Novgorod. However, details of Pushkin's and Volkonsky's acquaintance were revealed. "Volkonsky had been friends with the Tsarevich and the future Emperor Alexander I since childhood, took indirect part in the assassination of Paul I, and accompanied the coffin of Alexander I from Taganrog to St. Petersburg. He was a prominent courtier during the military campaigns of 1813-1814 in Europe, created the General Staff of the Russian army, which still exists," Oleg Alekseevich said. "I was interested in whether there were any relationships between Pushkin and Volkonsky. It turned out there were none. But there was such a case. In 1815, young Pushkin cornered an interesting lady in the palace at Tsarskoye Selo, thinking she was his maid. In fact, he mixed everything up but demanded reciprocity from her. The lady turned out to be a lady-in-waiting of the Empress and the sister of Pyotr Volkonsky. She complained to her brother. He told this story to the emperor in the hope that he would punish the boy. But the emperor was very amused, ordered to hush up the scandal, and said: 'Our old lady is lucky.' The old lady was 33 years old at that time. Pushkin was 16. Thus, Emperor Alexander I heard for the first time about the existence of such a person as Sasha Pushkin in his empire," the researcher shared.

      Reference: An ex-libris is a bookplate that certifies the owner of the book. It is usually affixed or stamped on the inside of the cover or on the spine of the book. An ex-libris may contain the owner's name and surname, his coat of arms, indication of his profession, and other important details. Ex-librises have existed since ancient times, some of them are works of art, which increases the value of the book and makes them collectible items.

      Author: Viktor Vasiliev

      More news about the event:

      In Nizhny Novgorod, a book with an early version of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was found

      19:04 September 2

      Nina Serebryakova

      Photo: Oleg Ryabov

      Nizhny Novgorod writer and collector of rare books Oleg Ryabov found a 1820 edition in his home collection, 19:28 02.09.2026 ProGorodNN.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod

      A Nizhny Novgorod resident found a book with the first publication of Pushkin's poem at home

      Photo: Oleg Ryabov, IA "Vremya N"

      Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian, publisher, and writer Oleg Ryabov discovered a unique find at home — the "Textbook of Russian Literature" published in 1820, 17:32 02.09.2026 Network publication We Live in Nizhny - Nizhny Novgorod

      Pushkin's lifetime publication from Volkonsky's collection was found in Nizhny Novgorod

      A lifetime publication of Pushkin from Volkonsky's collection was found in Nizhny Novgorod. 16:02 02.09.2026 NTA-Privolzhye - Nizhny Novgorod

      A book with the first publication of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was found in Nizhny Novgorod

      A rare edition from 1820 lay at home with antiquarian Oleg Ryabov for about ten years. Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian, 15:23 02.09.2026 Newsroom24.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod

      Pushkin's lifetime publication was found with an antiquarian in Nizhny Novgorod

      Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian, publisher, and writer Oleg Ryabov discovered a rare 1820 edition with an early publication of Alexander Pushkin's poem at home. 15:02 02.09.2026 Otkryty Nizhny - Nizhny Novgorod

      The first publication of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was discovered in Nizhny Novgorod

      An unfinished version of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila," published during Alexander Pushkin's lifetime, was found in Nizhny Novgorod. 13:26 02.09.2026 Nizhny Novgorod Truth - Nizhny Novgorod

      Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian discovered Pushkin's lifetime publication

      Photo: Oleg Ryabov/ IA "Vremya N"

      Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian, publisher, and writer Oleg Ryabov discovered a 1820 edition at home, which contained the first publication of Alexander Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila." 13:11 02.09.2026 NIA Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod

      Pushkin's lifetime publication from Volkonsky's collection was found in Nizhny Novgorod

      A Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian came across an unfinished version of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila." 11:53 02.09.2026 Vremya N - Nizhny Novgorod

      News from neighboring regions on the topic:

      A Nizhny Novgorod resident discovered a unique book with Pushkin's unfinished poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" from 1820

      The man found it at home. Photo: "Vremya N"

      Antiquarian, publisher, and writer from Nizhny Novgorod Oleg Ryabov discovered the "Textbook of Russian Literature," published in 1820, at home. 12:48 02.09.2026 St. Petersburg Diary - St. Petersburg

      A Nizhny Novgorod resident discovered a unique book with Pushkin's unfinished poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" from 1820

      The man found it at home. Photo: "Vremya N"

      Antiquarian, publisher, and writer from Nizhny Novgorod Oleg Ryabov discovered the "Textbook of Russian Literature," published in 1820, at home.