Unique collection of Chekhov's works dated 1918 was transferred to his museum in Bashkiria

An unusual event took place in the Aksenov rural model library of the Alsheevsky district of Bashkortostan - the transfer of books from the Chekhov fund of the library to the Anton Chekhov House-Museum in the children's camp-sanatorium named after. A.P. Chekhov.

As Rasima Adigamova, an employee of the Aksenov rural model library, told Bashinform News Agency, these books ended up in the library's fund at a challenging time, when the sanatorium did not have an owner, it passed from many hands and many valuable things were destroyed there. The most valuable library of the sanatorium suffered the same fate.

“Having received permission to view the books left from the looting, we selected the most valuable of them. There were volumes of the first Soviet edition of 1918 of the complete works of A.P. Chekhov. Since then, for many years, they have been carefully kept in the fund of our library. These publications were an invaluable exhibit during excursions to the library. At present, the Anton Chekhov House Museum has been created in the sanatorium. It contains unique exhibits and documents related to the name of the great writer, who at the beginning of the last century came to our region to be treated with koumiss. We made a decision: the time has come to return these most valuable books to the sanatorium, to the museum. Our gift was accepted with gratitude by the director of the Chekhov House-Museum of the sanatorium, Elvira Valieva. We hope that these publications will be the first signs of the return of lost books, albums, and documents to the sanatorium”, Rasima Adigamova said.

Author: Alik Shakirov