Book masterpieces of Mykola Semenovych Samokysh in the Central Scientific Library Karazin University

The article analyzes the illustrated book editions of the cultural and artistic heritage of the outstanding Ukrainian artist Mykola Semenovych Samokysh, which are stored in the Central Scientific Library. The purpose of the study is to study and disclose books and periodicals illustrated by the artist M. S. Samokish. The artist's paintings are stored in many museum collections in Ukraine and Russia and in galleries of various collectors, and graphic works, books and magazines decorated with artistic illustrations enrich the funds of many libraries. The Central Scientific Library of Karazin University preserves unique editions of the artist, which are currently a bibliographic rarity. The methodological basis of the study is the problem-chronological method, which allowed to trace the sequence of origin, formation and development of creative activity of M. S Samokish. This method allowed to study and analyze a specific creative work of an illustrator in a certain period of time. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the coverage of book-illustrative publications from the fund of the Central Scientific Library. This allows you to popularize the library fund as a whole and determines its scientific, cultural and historical value. A specific bibliological study reveals the personal contribution of M. S. Samokysh to the development of book art in Ukraine. Conclusions. M. S. Samokysh is known, above all, as an excellent master of the battle genre, for which he was awarded silver and gold medals and awarded the title of Academician of the Academy of Arts. Also, it should be noted that M. S. Samokysh took part in the preparation and creation of albums on Ukrainian art. This is a famous art publication "From Ukrainian antiquity" in 1900 and a rare album "Motives of Ukrainian ornament", which was published in the early XX century. The vast majority of Samokish's works were performed in his favorite battle genre. Thus, the result of Nikolai Semenovich's trip to the front of the Russo-Japanese War was the album "War 1904-1905: From the Diary of an Artist" published in 1908. . The magazine "The Great War in Images and Pictures 1914–1915" of 1915 included the artist's front-line materials. Drawings and watercolors from nature, made directly on the fronts, serve as a kind of historical document of the turbulent war years. Of particular interest are the many illustrated books on the history of the royal army, military regiments, the coronation of the royal family and others. The historical essay on the history of the Grand Ducal and tsarist hunts in Russia and Russia is fascinating. A multi-volume study of individual regions of the Russian Empire at the end of the XIX century is quite significant. Artistic and graphic elements of book decoration - vignettes, letters, screensavers, endings, which worked on the painter and graphic artist M. S. Samokish, not only reveal and supplement the content of books, but also make publications real works of art.