German-language literature in the personal libraries of Russian readers of the first half of the 18th century

Abstract

Introduction. The cultural modernization of Russia in the era of Peter the Great became possible due to the transfer and adaptation of the main European ideas on Russian soil. In an effort to improve the quality of cultural exchange, the Russian autocrat intensified contacts with Western countries, attracted many foreign specialists to Russia, and introduced European political and administrative orders in the country. However, the most important instrument of modernization has become the mass education of the population, the education of subjects with a special progressive worldview, receptive to the ideas of progress. Methods. Among the methods, one can single out, first of all, comparative historical and statistical methods. The use of the bibliographic method made it possible to identify the most significant publications for their time. The results of the study. The first half of the 18th century was a time of growing interest in German-language publications among the Russian educated society. Of course, the cultural policy of Peter the Great had a great influence on these processes, who saw in a foreign book the main assistant to his modernization transformations. At the same time, the private nature of the purchase of literature abroad was an important factor in the penetration of German-language book culture into the country. Reading such publications contributed to the development of Western experience, stimulated the successful transfer and reception of European innovations on Russian soil.