Chronicles of the All-Union Book Chamber

organs of state bibliography; periodical guides to the different types of publications issued in the USSR.

The Knizhnaia letopis’ (Book Chronicle) records all new books and pamphlets published in the languages of the USSR and in foreign languages.

The Letopis’ periodicheskikh izdanii SSSR (Chronicle of Periodical Publications of the USSR) has been published since 1933. In 1938–39 it was called Ezhegodnik periodicheskikh izdannii SSSR (Yearbook of Periodical Publications of the USSR), and between 1940 and 1945 it was not published. Because the great majority of journals and newspapers are published without substantial changes for years at a time, a complete list of periodicals and serial publications is issued once in five years. Information about new or discontinued publications or about changes in titles of publications is published annually in special issues under the general title but with subtitles, for example, Chronicle of Periodical Publications of the USSR: New, Renamed, or Discontinued Journals and Newspapers and Chronicle of Periodical Publications of the USSR: Transactions, Proceedings, Collections, and Other Serial Publications.

The Letopis’ zhurnal’nykh statei (Chronicle of Journal Articles) has been published weekly since 1926 (as Zhurnal’naia letopis’ from 1926 to 1937). It lists articles, documentary material, and literary works appearing in journals, serial publications (such as Uchenye zapiski [Scholarly Proceedings] and Trudy [Transactions]), and literary anthologies published in Russian in the USSR. The chronicle gives an exhaustive account of publications in scientific and scholarly journals and publications of the Trudy type. Articles from general, trade, and popular-science magazines are represented more selectively. No bibliographic descriptions are made of official and informational bulletins, collections of abstracts, material outside a given journal’s specific field, or material from a journal’s permanent information sections (such as “Current News,” “Information Exchange,” and “News About Technology”), that is, reprints from other journals and collections.

The Letopis’ gazetnykh statei (Chronicle of Newspaper Articles) has been published monthly since 1936 (as Gazetnaia letopis’ in 1936–37). It covers articles, documentary materials, and literary works published in the all-Union newspapers (both general-political and specialized), the general-political newspapers of the Union republics (published in Russian), and the main city newspapers of Moscow and Leningrad.

The Letopis’ retsenzii (Chronicle of Reviews) has been published quarterly since 1935 (in 1939–41 as Bibliografiia retsenzii). In contrast to the other chronicles, this guide lists reviews published in Russian in the Soviet periodical press not only of works published in the USSR, but also of works issued abroad in the languages of the USSR and foreign languages.

The Letopis’ pechatnykh proizvedenii izobrazitel’nogo iskusstva (Chronicle of Published Works of Fine Art) has been published quarterly since 1934; prior to 1967 it was issued as the Letopis’ izobrazitel’nogo iskusstva (Chronicle of Fine Art). It lists published works of art in the Soviet Union regardless of the method by which they were reproduced, including original prints (lithographs and engravings), reproductions (of both original art works and photographs), and photographs printed on light-sensitive paper. Works published as single copies, either separate sheets or albums, are not described.

The Notnaia letopis’ (Sheet Music Chronicle) has been published quarterly since 1931; prior to 1967 it was known as the Letopis’ muzykal’noi literatury (Chronicle of Music Literature). It encompasses musical and musical-stage works issued separately, collections of musical works, collections of folk-music transcriptions, and sheet music for students published in the USSR. It also lists literary readings and stagings with musical accompaniment, musical games, and other published works in which the literary text is bound up with the musical text. Some musical compositions published in journals and newspapers are also included. Since 1954 each issue of the chronicle has included a description of all the publications for the preceding quarter.

The Kartograficheskaia letopis’ (Cartographic Chronicle) has been published annually since 1931. It lists geographical, historical, and astronomical maps and atlases issued separately in the USSR, as well as maps and atlases issued separately but as supplements to books and other publications. The yearbook contains a list of the books whose maps are recorded in the chronicle and a list of reviews of maps and atlases published in the given year.