Work continues on the personal collections of professors at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. One of the most significant collections in terms of quantity belongs to Professor I.D. Zhukov. Most of the publications found contain dedications from the authors. Perhaps this is not a personal library in the full sense of the word, but the collection accurately illustrates the scientist's scientific and social connections.
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Ivan Diomidovich Zhukov (1860-1944) was the rector of KPI from 1911 to 1917. He graduated from Kharkiv University, taught chemistry at the Kharkiv Technological Institute, and was invited to work at KPI in 1899. To prepare for teaching chemical technology, he was sent abroad and, after defending his dissertation in 1901, became a professor in the Department of Chemical Technology. He headed the institute for six years during a difficult historical and political period. He probably died in exile in the Czech Republic.
The chronological limits of the collection are 1876-1916. A significant part, almost half (25 out of 61 items), consists of individual copies from periodicals. The topics are scientific—chemistry, metallurgy, physics, mathematics, chemical technology, glass and ceramics industry, etc. Scientific works and textbooks predominate, although there are also public speeches, dissertations, and reference publications.
Among the donors are legendary and well-known scientists, teachers, and professors of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. For example, V.L. Kirpichov, L.V. Pysarzhevsky, V.P. Izhevsky, and others. Thanks to the dedications, it is possible to trace the status and relationships of Ivan Diomidovich in the scientific and technical community of Kyiv in general and at the Polytechnic Institute in particular. Most of the inscriptions begin with the words “To my dear friend...” and some with “To my old comrade...”
Several publications were written by Viktor Lvovich Kirpichov (1845-1913), the first rector of KPI and an outstanding scientist and mechanic. First of all, “The Importance of Imagination for Engineers” is a programmatic article by V.L. Kirpichov, in which he sets out the main principles and conditions necessary for the high-quality training of engineers. The work was published in “News of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute” in 1903. The other three publications are scientific and educational in nature. Nine publications devoted to metallurgy were donated by V.P. Izhevsky, an outstanding metallurgist. They were published between 1903 and 1910.
Another publication in the collection was authored by the renowned chemist Lev Vladimirovich Pisarjevsky (1874-1938), after whom the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is named. The book, presented to Rector I.D. Zhukov, is a popular science book entitled “First Acquaintance with Chemistry: Lectures Read at the Troitsky House” (Kyiv, Trud Publishing House, 1910). It is interesting that most KPI professors gave similar lectures over the years, and these lectures were most likely organized by the Kyiv Society for the Promotion of Education. The annual reports on the Institute's activities repeatedly mention such activities of teachers.
Among the books is a work on electrochemistry by the German scientist Heinrich Dannel (1867-1942), translated from German and edited by Mykhailo Hratsianovych Yatskevych, an engineer-technologist and full-time lecturer in general chemistry at KPI. His surname appears in the list of the institute's staff for 1913. It is mentioned that he had been working in this position since 1909.
Small-scale research results, reflections, or answers to topical questions were also published. For example, the work of KPI lecturer I.A. Feshchenko-Chopovsky, “Research on Roofing Iron” from 1911, with the note “From the Metallurgical Laboratory of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” and with the dedication “To the highly respected Prof. Ivan Diomidovich Zhukov from the author.”
The names of two outstanding Polish scientists, Wojciech Sventoslavsky (1881-1968) and Sigismund Wojnicz-Sianożecki, are associated with the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Both studied at KPI and began their scientific careers in Kyiv. Their works with dedications to I.D. Zhukov are also in the collection.
Two publications are signed by M.M. Volodkevich. At that time (early 20th century), there were two people with this surname working in Kyiv. The elder was Mykola Mykolayovych (1860-1932), co-owner and director of the Kyiv Private Women's Commercial School, a teacher who taught the history of chemistry at St. Vladimir's University in Kyiv. The younger one was his son, his father's namesake (born in 1888), who also taught at the school and, together with his father, prepared and published a course of practical physics lessons for secondary schools. It was the latter who spoke at the congress of physics, chemistry, and cosmography teachers in 1912-13, and he presented his speech, published in 1915, to I.D. Zhukov. The second edition with a dedication is the aforementioned physics course, printed in Kyiv in 1910. Interestingly, in addition to I.D. Zhukov's copy, the library has another copy, which was donated to the M.I. Konovalov Chemistry Club, which operated at the Chemistry Department of the KPI. There is evidence that the younger M.M. Volodkevich emigrated to Germany and received a doctorate in physics from the Technical University of Darmstadt.
Among the donated works is “Materials for the History of Santonin: Master's Thesis in Pharmacy” by Lev Shyperovich, published in 1885 in Kharkiv. The inscription “To my old friend Ivan Diomidovich Zhukov from the author” testifies to their long-standing friendship. No information about Lev Shyperovich could be found, but information was found, most likely about his son,Volodymyr Lvovych Shyperovich, who was born in 1891, graduated from Kharkiv University in 1913 (Chemistry Department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty), and worked in the oil refining industry. In the 1920s, he worked in the United States as an oil refining engineer for the Technical Bureau “Soznaft.” In the early 1930s, he renounced his Soviet citizenship and condemned the Bolshevik leadership's policy of totally destroying talented engineering personnel in the country.
A significant part of the collection, almost half (25 out of 61 items), consists of individual reprints from periodicals. The practice of making reprints from professional journals was quite common among scientists, because then, as now, the latest scientific information was first published in the form of articles. Thanks to reprints, it quickly reached interested readers—scientists, practicing engineers, teachers, and students of educational institutions. Among the reprints in I.D. Zhukov's collection are publications in German professional journals, naturally in German.
The oldest book in the collection was published in 1876. It is Physical Chemistry by M.M. Lyubavin (1845-1918). The embossing “I. Zhukov” has been preserved on the spine of the book cover. Therefore, this edition belonged to Ivan Diomidovich, and he obviously studied from it. Also, the only edition in the collection in Polish today belongs to Czesław Bochkowski, “Sacharyna I jej spozycie,” a reprint from the professional periodical “Gazeta Cukrownicza” for 1897. The dedication inscription is warm and friendly: “To the highly esteemed Mr. Ivan Zhukov, in memory of our unforgettable pleasant life together in Copenhagen. From the author.”
So, the search for books that belonged to I.D. Zhukov continues. We hope that other editions will gradually be found – with dedications, notes on the cover, or inscriptions on the title page. In addition to being interesting and valuable information for researchers and specialists, these printed materials are part of the history of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. All documents are stored in the KPI History Fund of the Rare and Valuable Documents Department and are available for review and use.