The social composition of buyersand the geographic distribution of the Moscow-printed Gospels and Apostolsin the 1650s. Based on the materials of the State Book Printing Department

Based on the analysis of the sales lists from the Archives of the State Book Printing Department (RGADA. F. 1182. Op. 1-3), this article examines the sales of the Gospels and Apostles at the Moscow Printing House Book Shop in the pivotal period of the mid-17^th century, marked by the Patriarch Nikon’s church reform and a growing economic crisis. It is established that those factors caused a significant decline in the sales of printed materials. The main consumers of the above mentioned publications were the booksellers, who, despite the general decline in demand, increased their purchases and reinforced their presence by the late 1650s; there were also the members of the clergy (predominantly, the black clergy), whose purchases of the “newly corrected” Gospels and Apostles declined sharply, reflecting their attitude towards the ongoing reform. A comparative analysis revealed the differences in the consumer practices across the different social groups. The Gospels were often bought in bulk for resale or “construction”, while the Apostles were purchased individually, presumably for the personal use. The geographic distribution of those publications was generally similar, with the residents of Moscow and of the most developed urban centers north of the capital playing a particular role. The results of the research confirm the previous observations regarding the stability of the geographic distribution patterns of the Moscow-printed books, they also reveal the new aspects of the reaction of different social groups to the church reform.

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