Above is an image of the constellation Perseus holding the head of Medusa, famous for her serpentine hair. This chart is from a Russian celestial atlas published in 1829. I became aware of this unusual atlas while searching for new acquisitions for the collections of Geography and Map Division. This led me to learn more about it. The atlas is significant because it was the first published Russian celestial atlas. It is also rare. In addition to the copy held at the Library of Congress only three other copies are known to exist in the United States. They are held at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology in Kansas City, the Pennsylvania State University Library and the Memorial Library at the University of Wisconsin. The atlas was acquired for the collections of Geography and Map Division as a James Madison Council purchase in 2012. The Madison Council is a philanthropic organization that helps build the collections of the Library of Congress. The atlas held in the Geography and Map Division has been scanned in full and may be viewed here.
