Workers' Day of Publishing, Printing, and Book Distribution is celebrated in Ukraine, according to the Presidential Decree No. 563/99 of May 25, 1999, annually on the last Saturday of May.
This year, the holiday falls on May 31.
The first Ukrainian printing house can be considered the Krakow printing house of Shvaypolt Fyol, where the first books printed in Cyrillic appeared in 1491. Fyol's printing house published books for Ukraine and neighboring countries, and it began publishing books in Cyrillic in the form that was continued by printing houses in Ukraine.
The first printing house in Ukraine was founded in Lviv by Ivan Fedorov-Fedorovich. It operated from 1573 to 1575. The first book published on Ukrainian lands was the "Apostle" (1574), which historically initiated the development of printing in Ukraine.
A true masterpiece of printing art became the Ostrog Bible, completed in 1581. Ostrog also became the first center of publishing contemporary journalism in Ukraine, which later researchers called "polemic literature."
One of the centers of book printing in Ukraine was the Pechersk Lavra. Founded in 1616, the Kyiv Lavra printing house operated for three centuries.
In addition to Cyrillic font printing houses, there were also Latin-Polish ones in Ukraine: the first was a small printing house in Lviv that operated from 1592 to 1602.
In total, 25 printing houses operated in Ukraine from 1574 to 1648. The main centers of publishing activity were large trading cities - Kyiv, Lviv, Ostrog.
From 1720, Peter I prohibited book publishing in the Ukrainian language by his decree.
However, no one managed to completely destroy Ukrainian book publishing even in the most difficult times, including the Soviet authorities. Although there were attempts, and they were large-scale: for example, from 1930 to 1939, the number of Ukrainian publications decreased from 6394 to 1895.
The publishing business and the printed word are one of the defining factors in the formation of the national consciousness of Ukrainians. It contributes to the further development of Ukrainian statehood, the revival of spirituality, cultural traditions, and the achievement of European social, economic, and cultural standards in Ukraine.
The book has always accompanied us on our travels, calmed us, inspired us, and supported us. Now, when Ukraine is going through difficult times, the book is with us in bomb shelters, in the light of a flashlight during a blackout, in a dugout, and in battle; it can even stop a bullet.
The book is our weapon.