Ivan Fedorov (also known as Fedorovych, Fedorovyc], b. circa 1520-1530, d. 6 December 1583 in Lvov. Fedorov, a deacon of the Church of Saint Nicholas in the Moscow Kremlin, was the founder of book printing and book publishing in Russia and Ukraine. In 1564 he printed, together with Petr Msislavets, the first exactly dated Russian printed book, Apostole, in the Moscow printing house, established by Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible). In 1566 Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets had to flee from Moscow to Grand Duchy of Lithuania. There the first Russian printers were received by the Lithuanian great hetman H. Khodkevich at his estate in Zabludov near Grodno, where they published Ievanheliie uchytel’noie (Didactic Gospel, 1569) and Psaltyr (Psalter, 1570). The Book of Psalms was a widespread sacred book for use in worship, study in schools, and reading at home. The Zabludov edition is a very fine masterpiece of printing arts, richly decorated with a large number of illuminated initial letters, ornamental page titles, head ornaments and tailpieces etc. The book is illustrated by two engravings that feature a figure of the traditional author of the Psalms King David and the coat of arms of H. Khodkevych. The Psalter was printed in the Old Church Slavonic alphabet. Only 4 copies of the Zabludov edition have survived: in London, in Ukraine, in Moscow and St. Petersburg. After closing the typography at Zabludov, Ivan Fedorov moved to Lvov where he founded the first typography in the Ukraine. In 1574 he printed the first Ukrainian exactly dated book, "Apostle" that was the reprint of the Moscow edition with some additions. The book is notable for the publisher's postscript written by Fedorov which provides information about the commencement of book printing in Russia and Ukraine. In 1574 he also printed the ABC book. Later Fedorov worked at the estate of Prince Konstantin Ostrozhski, Ostrog. In 1581 he printed the first complete Slavic Bible that is known as Ostrozhskaya Bibliya (Ostrog Bible) Fedorov was known as the ‘Muscovite printer’ or Iwan Moschus (Ivan the Muscovite). See below for the digitized Fedorov Psalter: http://www.nlr.ru/eng/line/psaltyr/
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