To the Problem of Creating the First Repertoire of Books and Press Editions of Ukrainians Abroad: on the Materials of Great Britain

The author aimed to find out the stages and results of publishing houses, newspapers and magazines activities in the UK and to create the first catalog of books and press editions in this country based on the systematization of their printed products. The researcher has to solve three methodological problems: ensuring search completeness, accuracy and unification of the positions description, creation and development of information sources database. The completeness of the objects description is ensured by conducting this study not in Ukraine: in the main state book depositories the funds of diaspora publications are fragmentary and quantitatively extremely limited. The author collected the material abroad: in Great Britain and the USA. Information sources were: the Slavic languages department of the main book depository of this country (the British Library), Taras Shevchenko library-archive funds of the Union of Ukrainians in Great Britain and the Ukrainian Publishing Union in London, the Ukrainian Press Bureau archives in London, the archives and library collections of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Churches in London. The author was able to find and process a large array of printed materials published by Ukrainians in Britain at the Ukrainian Museum-Archive and Library in Stamford (USA), which is the largest collection of printing of the Western Ukrainian diaspora. Among the tested areas of information search: bookstores and publishing houses catalogs, announcements of new publications on the pages of diaspora periodicals, commemorative, anniversary publications of organizations and diaspora institutions that were engaged in publishing or press activities. As a result of the research, the amount and intensity of activity in Great Britain at different times of 16 Ukrainian publishing houses and 9 editorial offices of newspapers and magazines were established. The three largest publishing centers are identified by the number of titles and print runs: the Union of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the Ukrainian Publishing Union and the Association of Ukrainian Former Combatants in Great Britain. The geography of all printing houses, the array of printed products of private publishing houses group and joint international publications are described. Print runs, volumes, formats and types of publications were also found out. The comprehensive analysis made it possible to compile the first in Ukraine and the diaspora catalog of books and press publications of Ukrainians in the UK, which will be published in the appendix to the author’s monograph on the history of Ukrainian journalism and publishing in this country