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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Translated from U krainian by Olha Stasiuk THEODOZIA KICHOROWSKY In conjunction with the preparations for the Bicentennial celebration, attention is focussed on one of the most important American institutions of learning — the Library of Congress. In the November 1975 issue of National Geographic there appeared an article about this, the world's largest library, and its interesting departments. The article highlights the department of rare books and special collections. It is accompanied by photographs of two contrasting curios: one of the smallest and one of the largest books in the world. The former is a copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address printed in 1965 in Tokyo. This "volume" is approximately 1/7 inch tall and fits on the tip of the index finger. The latter is the four-foot- long (about the size of a small tabletop) Audubon Folio which contains watercolors of birds. The paintings are by John James Audubon, artist and ornithologist, who considered himself the son of the French king, Ludwig XVI. The author of the article mentions materials from the Rare Book Collection pertinent to United States history, and then pauses near the incunabula (books printed before 1501) and, as he puts it, "his soul flies into the misty past." He is greatly moved as he touches the first edition of the works of Homer, printed in Florence in 1488. He breathes in the scent of the book, the scent of Florence in the times of Michelangelo. It reminds him of old, clean clothing. This is, in fact, what paper was made of in those times. Pieces of woven stuff, destined to be reworked, were washed in alkaline, acid-free mountain water — the main secret of the longevity of the books. The paper of our time could not outlive it. The Library of Congress has a d e p a rtm e n t of re s to ra tio n and preservation of books. On its staff are craftsmen who participated in the rescue efforts of books after the catastrophic flood in Italy in 1966, when the Arno river flooded Florence along with the Ufici Palace library. A question involuntarily arises in the mind of the Ukrainian reader: does this sanctuary of learning contain any keepsakes of Ukrainian literature which would speak from the past about our Ukrainian world? I will attempt to point out the most outstanding materials dealing with the history of Ukrainian culture in the Library of Congress. By the way of book exchanges with the government library in Moscow, the Library of Congress acquired the "Ostrozian Bible" in 1958. This is the first complete church-slavic translation of the Bible in a old-Ukrainian variation. It appeared August 12, 1581 in Ostoz' in Volyn' through the sponsorship of Duke Constatyn Ostrozkyj (1526-1608). The Bible was prepared by a group of both Ukrainian and foreign scholars who were commissioned for the work at the Ostrozka Akademia by the duke. COOKY’S CORNER Sunday m orning. After a week of hard work, one lounges in bed, luxuriating in the idea of not having to get up — im mediately. Its a beautiful time for lazy thoughts, big plans and fabulously inventive breakfasts. How is this for an opener.......... 1 — 6 oz. can of chili with beans (preferably hot chile with beans) 1 medium size green pepper — chopped 3 bacon strips — sliced into small pieces 1 medium onion — chopped chili pepper 2 eggs 2 slices swiss cheese salt and pepper to taste. In a frying pan combine onion ana bacon until onion is golden brown. Add chopped pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add chili with beans and chili pepper. In another frying pan make an omlet. Spread mixture of the omlet and fold. Place cheese on top and broil for 30 seconds or until cheese melts. Serve only on a lazy Sunday morning, with black bread, butter, tomato wedges and scallions. Follow with strong percked coffee. Absolutely marvelous. The "Ostrozian Bible" contains both the old and new testaments plus three books of the Maccabees. It was printed in the establishment of Ivan Fedorovych in the ornate style popular at the time. The appearance of the Ostrozian Bible was a major event in the history of Slavic peoples. It set the precedent for many other editions of the Bible, both in Ukraine and outside. Reprints of the O s tro z ia n tra n s la tio n becam e widespread among Slavic nations and even now, its texts are being used in churches that use the church-slavic dialect. It is important to remember that the only book printed in Ukraine before the Ostrozian Bible is the Lviv "Apostol," printed in 1574 by the same printer as the Bible. It contains the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Paul. About that time, Ivan Fedorovych also printed a "Primer." This book was found in Rome in 1927, and in 1953 was bought by the Library of Harvard University. Other valuable Ukrainian books were acquired by the Library of Congress in 1907 through the purchase of the private collection of Gennadio Yudin, a Siberian merchant. The books were later transferred to the department of rare books. The Yudin collection contains the "Trebnyk" of bishop Petro Mohyla printed in Kiev in 1646. Bishop Mohyla was the founder of the Kievsko-Mohylyanska Akademia. It also comprises the "Hramatyka" of Meletyj Smotryckyj, the soul of the movement to unite Ukrainian churches and the author of the plan to create a Kievan patriarchate. This collection also includes a copy of the first edition of ''SIovo o Polku Ihorevi," one of the earliest Ukrainian historical works. Printed in Moscow in 1800 through the sponsorship of Musyn Pushkin, this edition is very rare because the original of this ancient epic was not preserved, and many copies of the first edition burned in Moscow during the Napoleonic War in 1812. Among the original manuscripts in the Rare Book Collection, is the "Triod Cvyetnaya," a liturgical book of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. It was written in accordance with the expertise of professor Kowalev, at the turn of the 16- НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ, КВІТЕНЬ, 1976 23
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