The reading audience of Den’s most recent publication this year, The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom, is now more than a thousand strong. Bookstore staff say that it is one of the most sought-after publications. A tip for those who have not yet read this mind-expanding book on Ukrainian history: hurry up before the last copy is sold out. Our regulars explain why our book is a must-read.
“The Crown teaches to avoid mistakes of the past centuries”
Olha Ohryzlo, director of the Ukrainian Bookstore in Lviv, comments on Den’s recent book
The most recent publication in Den’s Library, The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom became a bestseller as early as at the Publishers’ Forum in Lviv. It has kept this status in Lviv: there has been a lot of demand for the book. For instance, The Ukrainian Bookstore on Shevchenko Avenue in Lviv has received three wholesale orders in the recent weeks. The book sells out pretty fast, so they have to place additional orders. In her commentary to Den Olha OHRYZLO, director of the Ukrainian Bookstore, gave a detailed account of their numerous customers and shared her personal impressions of The Crown: “I would like to begin with the remark that absolutely everything that is printed in Den’s Library is a brand, easily recognizable and of high quality. A book published by Den is a priori high quality literature.
“The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom is an extraordinarily topical book in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Lots of people, our customers actually, ask for such literature because they are eager to learn about Ukrainian history. The Crown is just the right book for them. It contains totally unbiased, unprejudiced texts which allow the readers to study and reinterpret the history of Ukraine, and most importantly, to avoid mistakes of the past centuries.
“The book enjoys a great success among our troops. When on rotation, they often visit our store. They are interested in one specific topic, the history of Ukraine. They say, ‘One learns from one’s mistakes, but we sadly keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again.’ And often it is The Crown that they purchase.
“This book hit the bull’s eye. Today it is very topical and much needed. Indeed, just as Ms. Larysa Ivshyna wrote in her foreword, the book was long overdue. It brings up the deep layers of Ukraine’s history, true and uncensored, from the princes’ age and until now. This is exactly what makes The Crown so topical. And this must be the reason it is our bestseller.”
“DEN ENJOYS PEOPLE’S TRUST”
Liudmyla MARYNIAK, Director, Central Library System (Lokachi):
“A couple of years ago at a readers’ conference I said that there are words and books which must be read in their good time. The library staff of Lokachi raion are endlessly grateful to Larysa Ivshyna, Den’s editor-in-chief, who sent us a copy of The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom right after the book’s presentation in Lviv. We got a signed copy: ‘To the library of my home town of Lokachi with love. Sincerely, Larysa Ivshyna.’ Take our word, this inscription means a lot to us: Larysa Ivshyna-Zhalovaha used to be a reader of our library. It is a pleasure for us, her fellow countrymen, to hold a copy of a book signed by someone who made her way into the big, big world from Lokachi.
“We have now quite a collection of Den’s books I should say, because they are much sought by the readers. Not only we here in Lokachi, but some village libraries have their collections too. But somehow there are never enough. People come asking for them, but we have never got any financial help from state for such literature, and we still don’t. We are happy if we get our newspaper subscriptions covered. But nowadays more and more people are eager to learn about their own history. ‘An intelligent predecessor must not miss an intelligent contemporary.’ These words by our fellow countrywoman Larysa Ivshyna are now very popular in Lokachi. The books we received earlier are already circulating among readers. Now we have a waiting list for The Crown.
“Of course, we wish we could satisfy the demand with only one copy of The Crown, but it is much bigger than that. There was an incident in one of our village branches (in Hubyn, to be precise), when high school students checked the information from their book with the information published in one of Den’s books.
“Den enjoys people’s trust.”
“ACQUAINTING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WITH THIS BOOK IS MY MORAL AND PROFESSIONAL DUTY”
Oksana SAKHARCHUK, principal, Lokachi Secondary School-Gymnasium:
“I said these words back when our gymnasium got the first batch of writing from Den, as present from our former graduate, editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna. It was the series titled ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing,’ and when I thumbed through it I realized I may not be the only one to read it. Therefore our gymnasium, which this year became the first (and so far the only) community hub school in the district, holds conferences to discuss all Den’s recent publications. I dubbed such books and such conferences ‘injections of patriotism.’ It is indeed not so simple to become a Ukrainian patriot. Becoming a Ukrainian takes a lot of effort even today: mastering the language, learning the country’s history, etc. Restoring historical memory, realizing your place in this world and your identity does take an effort.
“Earlier this year our gymnasium had been following the announced new publication. The title sounded intriguing: The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom. I must admit that both I and my colleagues were prepared for the book’s high academic standards. The book is still to be discussed, but I have already read it and am ready to promote and discuss it. It pleased me to see familiar names of Den’s authors on its pages. The book carries a very powerful foreword by Larysa Ivshyna. The past, the senses which were intentionally lost due to various circumstances and political conjuncture, now gained a new interpretation thanks to the analysis of the sources. With this publication, Den keeps its strategic line: reading, thinking, shaping the public’s outlook and national character.
“This matters very much. We are sincerely grateful to our former graduate, honorary citizen of Lokachi Larysa Ivshyna for her present, the book The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom. We are proud to be its first readers. Take my word: Den and its books are avidly read here, both by the faculty and students.”
By Natalia MALIMON, The Day, Lutsk
