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Arctic continental shelves where the largest reserves of oil, gas and other strategic resources are concentrated determine the future of the world economy. According to the experts, the intellectual priority of any country in the world community is demonstrated by this country’s presence in the Arctic region. New patterns of the Arctic research cooperation emerged. It has been realized that it is necessary to carry our integrated research, take into account any possible outcomes and consequences of interdisciplinary projects. Such approach prevails in all countries that work in the Arctic. In this regard, of particular relevance is a retrospective analysis of the the Russian scientists’ achievements made in the course of integrated research of the problems of the Arctic. The paper considers the contribution of the academic institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences to studying the complex problems of the Arctic region. The author analyzes activities of scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics who provided the basic approaches to the integrated research of Siberia and its Arctic territories. These approaches are currently developed by the Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics named after A.A.Trofimuk, Institute of Geology and Mineralogy named after V.S. Sobolev in Novosibirsk. Scientists of SB RAS following the traditions of the Russian Academy of Sciences for several decades have been determining the strategy of research and development of Siberia and its Northern territories, participating in mineral resources exploration and linking their development with social and ecological issues. In the field of Arctic studies the institutes of SB RAS have a unique research capacity which should be used for implementation of the state strategy of development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. It is noted that the article highlights only major, most significant accomplishments of Siberian scientists in Arctic studies. The problem requires further, more detailed research.

The paper deals with analysis of texts reflecting the contemporaries’ attitudes towards the correction of the books during the church reform initiated by Patriarch Nikon. It is established that the contemporaries focused their attention on the book editing, i.e. the problem of the original texts that were used to provide a rationale for any changes made by the reformers in the prayer-books and other works. In the prefaces to these editions they presented these changes as the necessary corrections of the accumulated discrepancies between the Old Greek and Slavonic books. Reformers argued that all novelties were introduced to the Rite and liturgical practice of the Church based on the “Old Greek and Slavonic books”. Their opponents, naturally, began to prove that it was precisely this postulate - following the tradition - that was violated by the reformers. The same allegations were brought forth both by the Latin party and the defenders of the Old Rite. The former did it in order to catch the Church in a deception of the flock, without focusing on the betrayal of tradition, while the opponents of the reform, just like the reformers themselves, believed that following the tradition was a prerequisite for the existence and development of the Russian church. Therefore, both the supporters and opponents of the reform argued thay their defended the tradition of the Russian church. Analysis of the works written by the first generation of defenders of the Old Rite led to conclusion that they charted the course for the next generations defending their right to remain in opposition to the novelties. This implied comparison of the new liturgical texts with the new ones, and, above all, gaining a better knowledge of the authoritative manuscripts and old-printed books where the tradition of the Russian Church was fixated. As a result, the highest level of book culture, inherited from the Old Russia and developed during the Modern Age has become a characteristic feature of the defenders of the Old Rite.

In the works of ecclesiastical writers of the second half of the XVII century (Patriarchs Joachim and Adrian, Athanasius of Kholmogory, Euthymius of Chudov Monastery, Ignatius Rimsky-Korsakov and others), the edifying theme occupied an important place. Religious and didactic issue is present in most texts of this group of authors. The article discusses these texts which include the teachings, encyclical letters of Patriarch Adrian and Archbishop Athanasius of Kholmogory, the spiritual testaments of Patriarch Joachim and Bishop Mitrofan of Voronezh and other works. In terms of their content and subject matter, the texts under study are closely related to tradition: they are focused on the edifying literature of Ancient Rus’ (texts of a protreptic nature from Holy Scripture, words and teachings of the Fathers of Church and Russian writers). Moral and ethical themes of Christian didactic literature were reflected in each work. Following its traditions, the authors condemn human vices and give protreptic recommendations on standards of life and behavior of a pious Christian. One of the important themes that were reflected in the studied works is the theme of “reverence for books”. As the analysis shows, similes and metaphors used by the authors and related to the theme of worship of books and reading, go back to the texts, which were known in ancient Russian book-lore from the first centuries of its existence. In addition to considering traditional themes of the edifying literature, each author of the analyzed texts expressed his attitude towards topical issues of the second half of the XVII century. Creative efforts of writers were focused on addressing such issues as spiritual enlightenment; recovery of the Church authority weakened as a result of church reform and strengthening of secularization process; struggle against the schism; counteraction to the influence of western religions. Studying the works of writers of the patriarch circle of the second half of the XVII century in the context of church and edifying tradition leads to the conclusion that these authors maintained a strong continuity with tradition. Moreover, in their didactic texts they touched upon topical issues of the day.

Academic publication of the Siberian chronicles, based on codicological and textological analysis of manuscripts, offers extensive material for further research. The revealed redactions and types of texts show that the Chronicle of Savva Yesipov had been actively used in the book culture of the XVII century. The Tale of Yermak’s seizure of Siberia became a metatext for the Siberian chronicles. While studying the chronicles it is important to determine the degree of the text’s variation and basic trends in the development of historical prose from the viewpoint of an editor as a reader and as an author. Analysis of the manuscript tradition that was created mostly by the scribes of the XVII-XVIII centuries shows the significance of the text’s functions and its elements such as titles, word order, introductions, conclusions etc. In the Siberian chronicles the unlimitedness of events typical of the All-Russian chronicles was replaced with delineated boundaries and limits of the course of historical action which is expressed in titles, forewords and special endings of the narrative. The paper presents some key results of analysis of these elements based on the study of types, redactions and versions of the Yesipov Chronicle. The objective of textological analysis is to determine the evolution of the authorial intention in the history of the text of this monument that was used in dozens of copies in the XVII-XVIII centuries. The titles are the most inconsistent elements in the Old Ancient writings. It is stated that within the Siberian chronicles the titles performed representational function from the reader’s point of view and nominative function - from the writer’s (editor’s) point of view. A variety of titles determined the goals of chronicals’ narrative in its historical and cultural development. Introductions appeared in the later redactions of the Siberian chronicles. They were designed for establishing contact with the reader and explaining the conception of the historical narrative. The ending, marked by the chronicle’s editor, focuses the reader’s attention on the chronicle’s compiler. The chronicle has an open structure due to the absence of such endings in some of its versions.

The aim of the article is to draw attention to the nascent period of the early writings of the Yakuts, which played an important role in the history of the Yakuts and characterizes ethnic and confessional policy of Russia. In order to achieve the set goal the author describes the revealed texts and actors in the process. Although historians have admitted the existence of the written tradition before the Revolution of 1917, they questioned the extent of its spread. On the basis of the revealed texts the article attempts to show the historic features of origin and the nature of existence of the written tradition at the end of the XVIII - first half of the XIX century. Furthermore, it pays attention to the authors of these texts, some of them have been mentioned for the first time. The beginning of the period under study was marked by the spread of literacy among the Yakut population. This was possible thanks to the initiative of the state to create the Yakut writing, which was an important element of Russia’s policy. The author adheres to the concept of multiculturalism in relation to the national policy of the Russian Empire, that went through three stages of development. This policy was clearly manifested in the creation of writing for various peoples that were annexed into Russia at different times, including those ethnic groups that previously had not had written languages. Among the methods used in the article the leading position is taken by the retrospective, historical and comparative methods. Among the key research findings one should mention the setting of a problem of the early Yakut writing’s origin. Aside from the famous monuments of this writing the author identifies a number of new texts demonstrating the variety of genres - from literary to epistolary; identifies and characterizes the first actors of the process of formation of the early Yakut writing. These actors included representatives of the yakutized Russians and educated Yakuts.

The article deals with the activity of a famous researcher of Siberia Grigory Ivanovich Spassky, which is connected with collecting of materials for the magazines «Sibirsky Vestnik» («Siberian Herald») and «Asiatsky Vestnik» («Asian Herald»), published by him. This was the first periodical on this topic in the Russian Empire. This publication is distinguished by the wealth of published materials (more than 430 printed sheets), the major part of which has never been published before. The source of «Sibirsky Vestnik»’s materials wasn’t analyzed in the complex by the previous researchers, but such research would help to reveal the mechanism of «Sibirsky (Asiatsky) Vestnik»’s transformation. «Sibirsky (Asiatsky) Vestnik» made the evolution from the leasure time magazine to a scientific publication, which became the instrument of scientific knowledge not only in Siberia and Eastern Asia, but in the East in general. Among the people who supplied Grigory I. Spassky with «Siberian» and «Eastern» materials, the names of Siberian governor general Mikhail M. Speransky, Tomsk governors Vasily S. Khvostov and Peter K. Frolov, Orientalists Egor F. Timkovsky, Stepan V. Lipovtsov, Mikhail D. Sipakov and others were revealed. The analysis of archive materials from Spassky Fond (№ 805), which are stored in the State Archive of Krasnoyarsk region, in comparison with the materials from “Sibirsky Vestnik” and “Asiatsky Vestnik” demonstrates these people’s contribution into the spread of knowledge about Siberia. The article also presents reference data concerning the publications in “Sibirsky (Asiatsky) Vestnik”. It also emphasizes the role of Grigory I. Spassky not only as the collector of “Siberian antiquities”, but more as the organizer of the publication, which played the role of the attraction centre for original, trustworthy and live information about the Asian part of the Russian Empire.

The article examines the features of hagiography development in Siberia in the XIX - early XX centuries. For the first time it raises the problem whether there was a single Siberian hagiographic tradition, or it was composed of separate territorial loci. According to modern concepts, the place where a Saint performed his ascetic labors provided the basis for the development of regional hagiographic traditions. The analysis of “Siberian Paterik” project by Omsk hagiographers (1916) allowed to hypothesize on forming regional hagiographic traditions in Siberia - territorial loci. Unlike the XVII century, when there was the only Tobolsk metropolis in Siberia, so the individual loci were not the subject to dispute, the XIX century witnessed a different situation: there were grounds to talk of the Tobolsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk, and other hagiographies. Their further development was provided by the penetration and spread of printing technology in Siberia as is evident from the “Joint Catalogue of the Siberian and Far Eastern book. 1780-1917” (Vol. 1-3. Novosibirsk, 2004-2005). Formation of the regional loci is indicated by the growing activities on collecting the information about the saints and piety ascetics in individual dioceses. The “Nests of Holiness” were formed; along with writing the texts of individual biographies and hagiography, the hagiographic collections and “Lives of the Fathers” associated with several territories, monasteries, and Orthodox missions were prepared. The project of “Siberian Paterik” can be viewed as a possible result of this process. The author raises an issue of the need to study the creative legacy of Siberian historians, such as A. I. Sulotsky, N. A. Abramov, A. I. Yurievsky and others, in the context of regional hagiographic tradition development.

The article is devoted to the problems of publishing activities of the Chita Subbranch of the Amur River Branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (CS PBIRGS) during the pre-revolutionary period. For the first time in historiography the article considers the formation and development of book publishing of the CS PBIRGS based on the archival records and clerical documents, taking into account the data contained in scientific works, reflecting past scientific views. The author also analyzed sources that are bibliographic in nature - the book production of the CS PBIRGS. The fundamental principles of historicism and scientific reliability, logical and statistical methods allowed to recreate an overall picture of book publishing of the CS PBIRGS. The article is quite detailed in outlining the process of publishing the periodicals of CS PBIRGS. A comprehensive approach to studying the book publishing of the CS PBIRGS made it possible to analyze the distribution of printed editions of the Subbranch. It is noted that the editions of the CS PBIRGS were distributed not only on a free-of-charge basis (by means of book-exchange with other scientific organizations), but also trough sale in book-selling establishments. On the basis of the conducted research, the valid conclusion is drawn that the CS PBIRGS paid special attention to its publishing activity, promoting distribution of results of its scientific research among the general public both in Russia, and abroad. The state of CS PBIRGS publishing practice was determined by trends of development of the regional science and culture, the level of local printing base. The output of book production depended on financial opportunities of the Subbranch, qualification of local scientific experts. It is obvious that the publishing activity of the CS PBIRGS represents an important stage of the book culture of the Transbaikalia.

The paper considers the origin and evolution of literary-art journals in Siberia and the Far East. It also attempts to identify common features of the journals’ development specific to these regions. Much attention in this work is paid to the origin of the journals since much of them were established under similar spontaneous conditions. The mode of their further development also followed a similar pattern. Periods of repressions were followed by “thaws”. Pressure on the journals in one region entailed the revision of editorial policies in the neighboring regions. Many authors and critics, and with them the journals, at one time or another, fell from grace. Often these were writers who brought fame to the national literature. Finally, by the end of the Soviet period the journals had reached their peak when they published a number of works of the “returned literature”, i.e. works that had been previously censored or forbidden. But in the 1990s much of the formerly unavailable materials were published, so the journals lost their popularity and were on the verge of being closed. However, forces accumulated by the literary journals during the Soviet age helped them to survive later. Special emphasis is placed on changing circulation and periodicity of journals, as well as changing status of periodicals from the literary miscellanies to the literary journals. Chronicle of events that took place at the same time in different places allows to make generalizations not only about the history of Siberian and Far Eastern literature but also, with certain assumptions, about the history of these regions. In conclusion the author pays attention to the literary interests of Siberians which can be identified by analysis of publishing and socio-political activities of the journals. They portray a specific image of Siberians, that is a unique combination of the strive for independence and commitment to social order. This paradoxical combination is explained by their love for homeland every inch of which was reclaimed from nature with great difficulty.

The article considers mechanism of accumulation of novelties in interpretation of signs of the Day of Judgment made by the Old-Believers fr om the lower reaches of the Yenisey River; it also attempts at determining when a high threshold of such novelties was reached letting individual polemicists or authoritative communities make a decision about their canonicity or heterodoxy. The article presents results fr om an analysis of original writings of Fr. Symeon, hegumen of a skete, who died in 1954 in one of the concentration camps and was regarded as a saint by the Chasovennye (Chapeliers) Old-Believers; works of an outstanding popular writer A.G. Murachev, scribe K. Pleshakov and monk Fr. Timothy. It is proven that the starting points of all theological interpretations were the innovative works of Fr. Symeon who considered proletarians as servants of Antichrist surrendering to his will under the slogan “Proletarians of all countries, unite”. Establishment of the block of socialist countries in Europe in the wake of the World War II convinced his disciples in the truth of his words. Self-identification of the Chasovennye theologists as “true Christians” further included referring to loyalty to the teaching of Fr. Symeon. However, the skete ideologists believed that A.G. Murachev’s new scenario of Judgment Day moved so much away from the original concept that it came close to the line wh ere “ours” turns into “alien”. This was probably due to the fact that eschatological ideas were dominant in the system of Old-Believers’ teaching (as a rule, occasional deviations from the eschatological system that was acclaimed as canonical did not result in accusations of heresy). On the other hand, the fact that in the 1990s sketes identified bar-codes as marks of Antichrist made A.G. Murachev think that the inhabitants of the sketes fell into heresy. However, the line wh ere “ours” irrevocably turns into “alien” has never been crossed by both polemizing parties, apparently, because of their high authority along with fears of a major schism in the church.