M. S. Anderson Collection of Writings on Russia Printed Between 1525 and 1917

The M. S. Anderson Collection of Writings on Russia Printed Between 1525 and 1917 documents western European perceptions of Russia between 1525, when Paolo Giovio wrote his Libellus de legatione Basilii Magni Principis Moschouiae ad Clementem VII, Pont. Max., and 1917. It comprises approximately 1,850 titles collected between about 1964 and 2004 by Matthew Smith Anderson, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics, and given to the University of London by his Trustees in 2008. Travel narratives and other personal accounts of time spent in Russia form a major component of the Collection. Other significant subjects are Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, the Eastern Question, and various wars, especially the Crimean War. Broader histories are present, and the Collection includes works of nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction.

The Collection includes works in a variety of languages and forms. A particular strength is the number of translations it contains, indicating the spread of interest in works about Russia and the sharing of perceptions across Europe.

To gain an overview of the Collection, do a mixed classmark search on [M.S. Anderson].

For a detailed description of the collection, see: Karen Attar, ‘The M.S. Anderson Collection of Writings on Russia Printed Between 1525 and 1917: An Introduction’, Solanus, 22 (2011), 63-78.

Click here for a virtual display from the Collection.

shl.specialcollections@london.ac.uk 020 7862 8470