title: Who was collecting Hebrew books in the capital of Russian Empire and why
abstract: By the beginning of the 20th century a unique collection of Hebrew manuscripts (more than 20000 units) and first printed books was formed in the capital of the Russian Empire. These books ended up in St.Petersburg as part of several private collections, such as the collection of a Protestant paleographer and Biblical scholar Konstantin von Tischendorf, of the Karaite leader Avraam Firkovich, of the Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin, of the Barons Gnzburg, of a First Guild merchant Moses Aryeh Leib 
journal: Письменные памятники Востока