Smirdin A.F. (1795-1857), editor, bookseller

Categories / Literature. Book Publishing/Personalia
SMIRDIN Alexander Filippovich (1795-1857, St. Petersburg), editor and bookseller. From 1817, he was a salesman in the book shop of V. A. Plavilshchikov (see Plavilshchikov Publishing House), after his death (1823) he inherited his shop, printing office and library. He published compositions by contemporary writers in large editions and sold them at low prices, he introduced a constant author's fee for the first time in Russian publishing. The activity of Smirdin contributed to the creation of a literary profession and its distribution throughout the country. Smirdin published compositions by A.S.Pushkin, N. V. Gogol, V. A. Zhukovsky, P. A. Vyazemsky, E. A. Baratynsky and I. A. Krylov. The book shop of Smirdin was situated on 70 Moika River Embankment in 1823-32 and it was the place for Petersburg literary men to gather who gave their compositions to Smirdin. In 1832 on account of the relocation of the shop to a new building at 22 Nevsky Prospect (memorial plaque), works were published in 1833-34 in two books of the anthology Novoselye (the House Warming). He was buried in Volkovskoe Orthodox cemetery.

References: Смирнов-Сокольский Н. П. Книжная лавка А. Ф. Смирдина. М., 1957; Гриц Т. С., Тренин В. В., Никитин М. М. Словесность и коммерция: Кн. лавка А. Ф. Смирдина. М., 2001.

D. N. Akhapkin. Baratynsky Evgeny Abramovich
Gogol Nikolay Vasilievich
Krylov Ivan Andreevich
Plavilshchikov Vasily Alexeevich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Smirdin Alexander Filippovich
Vyazemsky Peter Andreevich, Duke
Zhukovskaya V.A.
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 70
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 22
Смирнов-Сокольский Н. П. Книжная лавка А. Ф. Смирдина. М., 1957
Гриц Т., Тренин В., Никитин М. Словесность и коммерция: Кн. лавка А. Ф. Смирдина. М., 2001 Plavilschikov Publishing House