Central Ural Publishing House

Central Ural Publishing House, known in Russian as Sredne-Uralskoe knizhnoe izdatelstvo, is a publishing organization based in Yekaterinburg and historically associated with book production across the Ural region. Its institutional history began in 1920, when it was created as Uralgosizdat, the Ural regional branch of the Soviet state publishing system. In its earliest period, the organization produced politically oriented printed matter, including propaganda brochures, posters, and leaflets. It also issued an early Soviet primer for adult literacy, reflecting the educational and ideological priorities of the period. In 1922, the organization was reorganized as the joint-stock company Uralkniga. Bela Kun served as chairman of its board during this phase. The publisher later became the Sverdlovsk Publishing House, commonly abbreviated as Sverdlgiz, in 1934. During the 1930s and 1940s it was described as the largest book publisher in the Ural region, operating within the centralized Soviet publishing environment and serving the cultural, educational, political, and literary needs of the region. The organization’s name changed again in 1963, when it became Central Ural Publishing House under the authority of the Soviet State Committee for Publishing. A Tyumen department was opened, extending its administrative and publishing reach within the wider Ural and western Siberian area. Its publications included books, regional literary materials, and periodical or serial projects. Among the titles associated with it were the children’s almanac Boyevye Rebyata, the literary collection Uralsky Sovremennik, and the magazine Uralsky Sledopyt. The publishing house also had connections with writers and cultural figures including Pavel Bazhov, Elena Khorinskaya, and Afanasy Salinsky. These associations place it within the literary infrastructure that supported Ural writing, translation, children’s literature, and regional cultural representation during the Soviet period. The organization remained active into the late 1990s, but its output declined over time. Available figures indicate that it released 104 books in 1979, compared with 26 in 1997. This contraction occurred during the broad institutional and economic transformation of the Russian publishing sector following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The available reference material does not establish a precise closure date, a successor organization, current ownership, or continuing operations. Its historical importance therefore rests primarily on its role as a major regional Soviet publisher and as an institution documenting the literary and political culture of the Urals.

Central Ural Publishing House traces its origins to 1920, when the Soviet publishing authorities established Uralgosizdat as the Ural regional department of the State Publishing House. The new institution operated in a period when printed communication was treated as an important instrument of government, political education, mass literacy, and cultural administration. Its early output included propaganda brochures, posters, and leaflets, as well as an adult alphabet book identified as the first of its kind published in the Soviet Union. In 1922, Uralgosizdat was reorganized as Uralkniga, a joint-stock publishing company. Bela Kun became chairman of its board. The reorganization reflected the changing institutional arrangements of early Soviet publishing, while the organization continued to serve the regional production and distribution of printed materials. In 1934 it was renamed the Sverdlovsk Publishing House, or Sverdlgiz, using the name of the city then known as Sverdlovsk. The publisher expanded its regional importance during the 1930s and 1940s. It was described as the largest book publisher in the Ural region during that period. Its work formed part of the Soviet system of geographically organized publishing houses, which combined central policy objectives with the production of books and periodicals intended for local readers. The institution’s cultural network included writers and publicists such as Pavel Bazhov, poet and translator Elena Khorinskaya, and playwright Afanasy Salinsky. A further institutional change occurred in 1963, when Sverdlovsk Publishing House was renamed Central Ural Publishing House. At that point, the Soviet State Committee for Publishing assumed control. The publisher also opened a department in Tyumen, indicating a broader administrative presence beyond its Yekaterinburg base. Under its Central Ural identity, it issued books and serial publications spanning regional literature, children's reading, cultural materials, and other forms of Soviet publishing. Known associated publications include the children's almanac Boyevye Rebyata, the literary collection Uralsky Sovremennik, and the magazine Uralsky Sledopyt. These titles illustrate the range of the organization’s activity, from children's publishing to literary and regional-interest periodicals. The publishing house continued operating into the late 1990s. Its output diminished substantially: the available historical account records 104 books in 1979 and 26 in 1997. The decline coincided with the structural and financial upheaval affecting Soviet and Russian publishing after the end of the Soviet Union. The available sources do not provide a confirmed date of closure, details of privatization or successor ownership, or evidence that the brand remains active today.

• 1997

  Output falls to 26 books

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The recorded annual output declines to 26 books as the publisher operates during the post-Soviet transformation of the publishing sector.

• 1979

  Records 104 published books

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The available historical account records 104 books published during the year.

• 1963

  Adopts the Central Ural name

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The organization is rebranded Central Ural Publishing House under the Soviet State Committee for Publishing, and a Tyumen department is opened.

• 1934

  Renamed Sverdlovsk Publishing House

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The publisher adopts the name Sverdlovsk Publishing House, commonly abbreviated as Sverdlgiz.

• 1930

  Becomes the leading regional publisher

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1930s and 1940s, the organization is described as the largest book publisher in the Ural region.

• 1922

  Reorganization as Uralkniga

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The organization is transformed into the joint-stock company Uralkniga, with Bela Kun becoming chairman of its board.

• 1920

  Uralgosizdat is established

  [1]Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The Ural regional department of the Soviet State Publishing House is created in Yekaterinburg and begins producing political and educational printed materials.

A regional state-linked publishing institution focused on political, educational, literary, children's, and cultural materials for the Ural region.

• Children's almanac

  Boyevye Rebyata

  A children's almanac associated with the publishing house. The available source identifies the title but does not provide sufficient detail about its publication dates, editorial format, circulation, or complete thematic scope.

• Literary collection

  Uralsky Sovremennik

  A literary collection published under the Central Ural publishing system. It represents the publisher's role in presenting regional and Soviet literary work, although the available material does not specify its full run or individual contributors.

• Magazine

  Uralsky Sledopyt

  A magazine associated with the publisher and its regional periodical program. The cited material names the publication but does not establish its precise editorial chronology or present status.

1. 1Central Ural Publishing Houseen.wikipedia.org