Russian Magic Books in the British Library: Books, Manuscripts, Scholars and Travellers 0712349839, 9780712349833

The work of W.R.S. Ralston, a Keeper of the British Museum Library in the mid- 19th century and authority on Russian mag

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English Pages 97 [112] Year 2006

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Russian Magic Books in the British Library: Books, Manuscripts, Scholars and Travellers
 0712349839, 9780712349833

Table of contents :
Contents
Introduction
LECTURE I William Ralston: Russian Magic and Folklore in England
LECTURE II Ivan the Terrible, the Stoglav,and Russian Magic
LECTURE III Travellers' Tales and Russian Magic

Citation preview

The British Library pos\em!s a formidable collection ofRLmian printed book~. abom .\ thIrd of the two hundred or 50 Cyrillic codices in Llntall1. ,1Ild an extensIVe collectIon of m.lnmCflpt RmslCa. Many good Sl,lvol11c speClalim among the library stan- have worked on the acquisIrlon and c;ltaloguing of these collections. lllost lIotabl} the leJflIl'd but father cccentric JSSlsunr llbranan Wilha11l Ralston (I x28-8y). who was encouraged to learn R.USS1.t11 by Sir Anthony 1',11IIZZI. the eponym of this kcrllfe senes. R.alston was also a writer, scholar and storyteller and anI.' of the founders of the Folklore' Soclery in 1 X7N; hiS c'XtCnslve com,lcts With the SCientific Jnd literary worlds of Llritalll and RUSSia and hiS blbliogr;\phical cOlllll1alld of RUs\lan scholarly liter;1ture enablcd hll11 to \\Iflte t\\'O influential books on RlIssi,111 folklore and folksont"l). which ll1c1l1ded d1\! first descriptive outline of Russian ll1aglt' ,lilt! popular beltef 111 English The fiN of thl'se lectures ,\Sses