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Yudin Collection at the Library of Congress: A Resource Guide

Lenin and the Yudin Collection

Bain News Service, publisher. Lenin. ca. 1925 and 1925. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Yudin's collection is famous for some of the high-profile personalities who have used it for their research. One of the most notable users of the collection was the Soviet leader, Vladimir Il'ich Lenin.

When Lenin was exiled to Siberia in 1897, he stayed in Krasnoiarsk for a short time while en route to the small town of Shushenskoe. From March 21st to May 12th (March 9th to April 30th according to the Julian calendar which was used in Russia before the 1917 Revolution), Lenin conducted research for his book, The Development of Capitalism in Russia ('Razvitie kapitalizma v Rossii'), using materials from Yudin's private library.

In a letter to his mother dated March 10th (according to the Julian calendar), Lenin described Yudin's library as a "wonderful collection of books" ('zamechatel'noe sobranie knig'). Lenin was particularly impressed by Yudin's collection of periodicals, with titles dating from as far back as the 18th-century. Lenin visited Yudin's library daily, making a one-hour trek each way to get there.The Development of Capitalism in Russia was later published in 1899. Below is a list of resources related to this episode in Lenin's life.

To search for resources about Lenin in the Library of Congress Online Catalog, use the following subject heading:

Lenin, Vladimir Il'ich, 1870-1924

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.