The "Post-perestroika miscellaneous imprints" collection in Stanford University Libraries Special Collections is a collection that documents this moment in the history of the former Soviet Union (late 1989 to approximately the mid-1990s) and attempts to preserve for future scholars these often fragile publications that might otherwise be lost. They were acquired on the streets and in the kiosks of major cities and provincial towns, as well as from individuals. The collection reflects the changing interests and concerns of the people, their attempts to come to grips with the turmoil around them, and their battle to exercise their new freedom to publish despite the obstacles. The larger part of the collection consists of ephemeral serial publications in all formats: printed, xeroxed, hand-written, offset, etc., some with original art and photographs. Many lived and died in one or two issues. They represent the expanding interests and self-conscious cultural, social and political concerns of Russia at the time, and cover a broad range of topics, from the popular--self-help, astrology, erotica, rock-and-roll, science fiction--to the serious--ecology, politics, education, religion and philosophy. Together they document another revolutionary moment in the history of Russia.
The collection also contains a selection of literature that appeared in very small runs and was soon out of print, and a collection of original typescripts, ephemera, and photographs.
