Published on: 2026-09-24
Source: Moscow Government – Правительство Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
A million-copy circulation is almost incredible for periodicals today, but in 1917 Ivan Sytin’s newspaper really reached such a scale. “Russkoye Slovo” circulated up to 1.2 million copies — one of the most impressive figures for the domestic press of that time.
But Sytin’s secret to success was not only in the newspaper. Among the first in Russia, he built an entire publishing system: producing inexpensive books, calendars, textbooks, children’s and fiction literature, encyclopedias, and popular prints. Moreover, he thought not only about what to publish, but also about for whom and how to sell it.
Ivan Sytin started with a small lithographic workshop. In 1876, he acquired his first printing machine and soon became one of the country’s largest publishers. His principle was simple: a good book should not be a luxury accessible to only a few.
Ivan Sytin’s publishing house collaborated with Lev Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Ilya Repin, and other famous cultural figures. Gradually, the enterprise transformed into a vast structure: its own printing houses, stores, and a network of kiosks at railway stations enabled the production and distribution of books and newspapers throughout the country.
What Was Left Behind the Pages of Books
Behind the history of large print runs lies serious work — from editors and artists to typesetters, printers, and sellers. It is this side of the publishing business that the exhibition “Half a Century for the Book” at the I.D. Sytin Museum-Apartment tells about.
One of its sections is dedicated to the partnership “I.D. Sytin & Co” — the history of its development, the operation of stores, and the publication distribution system. A separate line focuses on the phenomenon of “Russkoye Slovo,” the country’s most widely circulated newspaper. Here you can also see rare, highly artistic publications, documents, and printing samples.
The exhibition is showcasing materials from the family archives of Sytin employees — the dynasties of printers Frolov and Butarev — for the first time. They help to illustrate how the daily work of a large printing house was organized and who was really behind the thousands of copies produced.
The book as a work of art
There is also a special reason to linger over rare editions here. In 1916, to mark the 50th anniversary of Sytin’s publishing activity, a luxurious literary and artistic collection “Half a Century for the Book. 1866–1916” was published — featuring memoirs, articles, photographs, reproductions, and autographs of representatives of Russian culture. Dozens of authors participated in its creation.
What to watch this fall
This autumn, two more exhibitions have opened at the I.D. Sytin Apartment Museum. “Sytin’s Business — 2026” is a graphic exhibition based on the results of the 10th All-Russian Student Work Competition. It features projects by student artists, designers, and graphic artists: they allow a look at how contemporary authors deal with the same visual challenges once addressed by the artists and designers of Sytin’s publications. The exhibition will run until October 4.
And until October 18, you can still make it to the exhibition “The N.A. Ostrovsky Prize.” It reveals the history of one of the Soviet literary awards: showing how its format and significance changed over the decades and who became its laureates.
Tickets to the I.D. Sytin Museum-Apartment can be purchased through the service “Mosbilet”.
Looking for ideas on where to go in Moscow and keeping track of interesting events on the “Mosbilet” channels on “Makse” and in Telegram.
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