The library of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute was replenished not only by purchasing books and periodicals, but also by gifts. One of such gifts is books from Professor I.I. Rachmaninoff's own library.
Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff (1826-1897) - mathematician, mechanic, astronomer, doctor of mathematical sciences, honoured ordinary professor of mathematics, dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics (1868-1875, 1880-1881), vice-rector (1875-1880), rector (1881- 1883) of St.Volodymyr Kyiv University. He came from an ancient noble family and was a relative of the world-famous composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is interesting that at the expense of the scientist research was carried out in 1895 and the book of M.P. Vasylenko and I.F.Tokmakov "Historical data on Rachmaninov nobles" is published.
This year marks 195 years since the birth of the scientist.
Rachmaninov's main area of scientific interest was practical (applied) mechanics, and he made the greatest contribution to the development of the theory of mechanisms and machines. The whole life of the scientist was connected with the University of Kyiv. In the early 60's he tried to introduce technical disciplines in the course of teaching at the physics and mathematics faculties of the country's universities; continued and significantly strengthened the applied nature of teaching mathematics. The mechanical office of St. Volodymyr's University, founded on Rachmaninov's initiative, owed its collection and landscaping to the professor. To encourage young talent, Rachmaninoff, on the fiftieth anniversary of St. Volodymyr's University in 1884, donated 5 thousand rubles to establish a prize named after him for the best work in mathematics or science.
Currently, 18 publications from Rachmaninov's library have been found in the general fund. We also have our own scientific works of the scientist - 8 publications. Chronology of documents - from 1811 to 1897, language - Russian and French. All editions with gift inscriptions, thanks to which it is possible to identify their former owner.
It is known from the report on the activity of the institute for 1898 that 500 editions from Rachmaninov's own collection were transferred to the library, but it is not specified who transferred them. Some books, along with a gift inscription by the librarian, have a signature: “l. Rekasheva”, - that is - Rekashev's library. It is possible that Isydor Hryhorovych Rekashev, a teacher of descriptive geometry, was the person who donated the books of the professor to the book collection of Kyiv Polytechnic (his library, by the way, is also stored in our country and currently has more than 75 publications). There are no other proprietary marks (inscriptions, seals, bookplates) on the pages of books.
Thus, no direct evidence of the owner of the books (except for gift inscriptions and mentions in the report) was found, unlike other donated collections.
Almost all gift inscriptions belong to famous scientists - mathematicians, astronomers, physicists, chemists. Most of them taught at St.Volodymyr University. For example, Mitrofan Fedorovich Khandrikov (1837-1915) - Professor of Astronomy at the University, director of the university observatory. He began constant observations using astronomical instruments and organized the publication of the "Annals of the Kiev Observatory" in French (later it was replaced by other periodicals). The gift inscription was made on the book "System of Astronomy", 1875: "To Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff from the author.” On the cover of the book there is a sticker "Typography and bookbinding of SA Spylytota”.
One of the famous Ukrainian scientists who, by the way, donated several editions to our library - Pavlo Apollonovych Tutkovsky (1858-1930) - Ukrainian geologist, geographer and teacher, one of the founders of geology and geography in Ukraine, a full member of the Ukrainian and Belarusian academies of sciences and Shevchenko Scientific Society. Among the donated publications is his work "On the mechanism of formation of stratified volcanoes", 1893. In the upper right corner of the paper cover of the book there is an inscription: "To Honoured Professor Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff from the author.”
Two works were donated by Mykola Vasilyovych Bugaev (1837-1903), a professor of mathematics at Moscow University, one of the prominent figures of the Moscow School of Philosophy and Mathematics. M. Bugaev, by the way, the father of a famous writer, a representative of the symbolism of the early twentieth century. Andrii Belii. On the book "Numerical identities in connection with the properties of the symbol E", 1866 in the upper part of the title page there is an inscription: "To Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff from the author.” Another work with a gift inscription - "On the transformations of ultra-elliptic integrals and functions of class I", 1891
Four editions were donated to Professor by Mathematician Peter Mikhailovych Pokrovsky (1857-1901). The scientist had a doctorate in pure mathematics and taught at the University, he is the author of numerous scientific papers. Each of the publications is signed by the author with respect: "To Honoured Professor Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff from the author.” The books were published in Kyiv and Moscow during 1889-1892, and all of them relate to mathematical science.
Another outstanding scientist and professor of the University, Who gave his work to Ivan Rachmaninoff - Mykola Andriiovych Bunge (1842-1914) - a scientist-chemist of German descent. He studied in Kyiv, at the University, there he taught, became a professor at the Department of Technical Chemistry. The signed edition is also related to the history of sugar production. The book "Beet sugar industry at the Paris World's Fair of 1889", published in Kiev by the Kiev branch of the Russian Technical Society in 1890, has a inscription: "To Honoured Professor Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff from the author.”
Among the publications there is a work of another representative of the University of Kiev, a professor of mechanics, and in the 20's. of XX century, rector of the Odessa Polytechnic Institute - Gavril Konstantinovich Suslov (1857-1935). This article is about "The question of the beginning of the least action". The document is a separate imprint from the "University News" for 1891.
Another work of the representative of Odessa - "Geometric places from the theory of axes of rotation" by Ivan Mikhailovych Zanchevsky (1861-1928). The book was published in Odessa in 1891. I.I. Zanchevskyi - scientist-mathematician, professor, dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics and rector of the Imperial Novorossiysk University (now - I.I. Mechnykov Odessa National University), Professor of Odessa Polytechnic Institute.
The last book we will mention is "Experimental and practical course of electricity, magnetism and galvanism" (1876) with a gift inscription from Fedir Fomych Petrushevsky (1828-1904), physicist, professor at St. Petersburg University, inventor of optical devices. His research interests included electromagnetism and optics. The donated work became one of the first systematic training courses on electromagnetism.
So, together about two dozen publications give us an idea of the broad scientific and social ties of the scientist. Gift inscriptions are always a manifestation of good and friendly relations between people, and the desire to present Professor Rachmaninoff's books confirms this truth.
The role of Ivan Ivanovych Rachmaninoff in the history of scientific and educational Kyiv was quite significant. The scientist also did a lot for Kyiv Polytechnic. And although our institute opened a year after his death, all the preparatory work took place with the participation of I.Rachmaninoff together with other professors of the University. This is told by historical documents stored in the library of Kyiv Polytechnic. New at that time methods of teaching technical disciplines, in particular practical mechanics, initiated and implemented by I.I. Rachmaninoff, were successfully used at the Polytechnic Institute.
Publications with gift inscriptions to Ivan Ivanovich Rachmaninoff are carefully stored in the fund of rare and valuable documents of the Scientific and Technical Library of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.