EDITORIAL

Abstract

Welcome to the final issue (v. 23, no. 4) of Slavic & East European Information Resources (SEEIR) for 2022, a regular issue. This issues features two research articles, the first being a survey of the library and archives of Christian Brinton (1870–1942) that were donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1941; and the second is an extensive history of the Latvian collection at the New York Public Library. The research articles are followed by a description of materials about Russian/ Soviet relations with Japan during the early 20 century, with an emphasis on the Russo-Japanese War, that were recently acquired by the Memorial Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Two separate but related pieces are dedicated to recent political activity in Belarus; the first addressing attempts to archive political protests in Belarus from 2020–2021, and the second describing efforts to preserve digital protest art surrounding the 2020 presidential election in Belarus. The issue concludes with reviews of two books. The first is a “reissue” of an early 20century Ukrainian translation of selected poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky that was already being printed when the authorities halted publication of the volume; and the second is an English translation of contemporary Ukrainian poetry by Lyuba Yakimchuk – a response to her experience of living under Russian occupation in the regions of Donbas and Luhansk. The Research Articles section opens with an article by Kristen Regina, Arcadia Director of the Library and Archives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, entitled: “The Christian Brinton Library and Archives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.” In this essay, as she calls it, Regina surveys the Museum’s collection of books, pamphlets, and art objects donated by the famous art collector, critic, curator, actor, lecturer, and salesman, Christian Brinton, during the early to mid-20 century. Contextualizing the collection within the history and time-period during which Brinton circulated among several communities of artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts, the author relates important events and episodes from Brinton’s life and career. Some of the most important events include his promotion of Russian émigré artists in New York City and exhibitions of their work; travels to the Soviet Union that led to a series of Russian and Soviet art exhibitions in the United States; and the accumulation of his collection of rare books from all over Europe, the majority of which are of Slavic origin and many of which contain illustrations, lithographs, and prints by famous artists and authors. In addition to describing specific items in the collection, the author relates how Brinton’s SLAVIC & EAST EUROPEAN INFORMATION RESOURCES 2022, VOL. 23, NO. 4, 369–374 https://doi.org/10.1080/15228886.2022.2152236