The Special Collections and Rare Books department has received a thirty five volume facsimile edition of the Chronicles of Ivan the Terrible (Лицевой летописный свод) as a gift from the University of Illinois. This literary masterpiece was commissioned by Czar Ivan IV "the Terrible"(1530-1584) for the Royal library, for the purpose of educating his children and future rulers.

 Also known as the Czar Book, it is the largest compilation of the historical knowledge of ancient Russia, covering the period from the Creation of the World to the year 7084 (AD1576), including the Biblical history and the histories of Rome, Byzantium, and Russia. A significant part of the Chronicles is dedicated to the period of Ivan IV's reign, shedding light on the circumstances that led to the infamous “Time of Troubles” and the fall of the initial Rurik dynasty.

The original 10-volume manuscript was made between 1568 and 1576 by sixteen most prominent scribes and ten iconographers who worked on it under the guidance of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow. Until the end of the 16th century the books were in the Royal library, but disappeared in the turmoil of the Time of Troubles, and were presumed lost for over four centuries. One volume was found in the library of Peter I, who had given it as a gift to his daughter. The rest of the books were recovered from private collectors, and it was recently reproduced by the Society of Lovers of Ancient Literature charity.

For centuries, the Chronicles were not available to general audience, but this publication provides a great opportunity for scholars who want to explore and gain more detailed knowledge of that turbulent and fascinating time of Russian history.

The facsimile edition of the Chronicle includes both the original text in Church Slavonic and its pretty lame translation into the present-day Russian. The text has 17,000 illustrations.

Special gratitude for making this gift possible goes to our former graduate assistant Julie Christenson; Mrs. Melanie Rusk of the Collection Management Services of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Christopher Condill, Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and to our own  Ellen Blair; Steven Hammer, and Mike Holland.