About 15 years ago, the Soviet Union restricted which books its citizens read.
Today, some 5,000 miles away, a tribute to Russia’s past and future has been at 911 Foster St. for more than four years in an unassuming storefront with its previous tenant’s name, “Great Expectations,” still above the door.
Communication junior Henry Webster, who lives in an apartment next to the Russian Press Service, walks by the store often. Like many other students, doesn’t really know much about the business operating inside.
“I don’t ever see anyone in it other than when I see someone smoking outside,” he said. “But other than that, I don’t know what it is.”
The foreign writing on posters in the windows and the classical music that can be heard from outside make the store stick out in an otherwise unremarkable plaza. Inside the tanned brick building is where more fascinating stories are formed.
In an area with few Russian speakers, most of the mail order bookstore’s business comes from its online catalog. Scholars and professors around the world are the most frequent customers at the Russian Press Service, but every so often someone walks in, curious to discover what the store sells.
“All our books are things of interest to faculty members who are specialists in different aspects of Russian studies,” owner Kristine Bushnell said.
“We communicate with publishers by e-mail about things being published. It’s kind of fun. We keep up with everything that comes out.”
A small piece of Russia in Northwestern’s backyard boasts volumes of academic books sold to about 200 libraries around the world, including libraries at NU, University of Chicago and University of Illinois. The Russian Press Service is a reflection of the dramatic cultural transformation of a world becoming more globalized and a growing interest in Russian literature, Bushnell said. She said their monthly catalog lists about 350 titles, making for about 4,000 titles a year.
“(Russia) went from being a publishing backwater in the Soviet period to becoming one of the world’s largest publishers,” she said. “I would hardly be in this business if the things weren’t interesting to read. It’s really amazing.”
The business was started in 1991 by Bushnell and her husband, John, a professor in NU’s history department. The couple visited Russia and noticed the political and cultural revolution occurring. Publishing houses were restricted in the works they produced , and only a limited number of authors were allowed in circulation. Russia experienced a “chronic shortage of interesting things to read,” Bushnell said.
When Soviet control over Russia faded, so did government control over publishing. Long-suppressed works reappeared.
The result was a cultural renaissance in which Russian citizens were anxious to read the texts produced by their countrymen.
“What’s happening today is that Russia has become in very few years one of the major world publishers,” she said.
“The book trade in Russia is one of the strongest sectors of the economy, and there are many fine works in the humanities and social sciences. We’re an academic company so that’s what we focus on,” she added.
The store, which has an office in Moscow, sells scholarly books as opposed to the popular literature sold by its predecessor, Great Expectations, whose name is still featured prominently on the sign above the business.
“We thought we’d leave it up in memory of that bookstore,” she said. “It was a very popular bookstore that was pretty much put out of business by Barnes & Noble and Borders. It went the way of the independent bookstore. Maybe some day they’ll come back.”
But Bushnell said her store isn’t really affected by the big box retailers in Evanston.
“We’re such a highly specialized bookstore that the big chains don’t really affect us,” she said. “You can’t walk into a Barnes & Noble to buy our books.”
Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].
