In the spring of 1907, an unusual cargo arrived in Washington: about 80,000 volumes from distant Krasnoyarsk. Thus, the collection of merchant Gennady Vasilyevich Yudin became the foundation of the Slavic fund of the Library of Congress. Russia lost one of the largest private libraries in the country.

Yudin (1840, 1912) made his fortune in the distilling business, but his passion was books. At his estate in Tarakanovka near Krasnoyarsk, he spent decades collecting everything related to Russia, especially Siberia. His library housed rare editions from the 18th century, periodicals, manuscripts, and unique documents on the history of Russian America and the Russian-American Company. The collection was open to researchers. In 1897, exiled Vladimir Ulyanov, the future Lenin, worked there.

By the early 20th century, Yudin's affairs worsened, and the years took their toll. He wanted the library to remain in Russia and offered it to state institutions. No buyers were found at home. However, Americans showed interest. In 1906, a deal was made for $40,000. The amount was significantly lower than the actual value of the collection, and Yudin partly considered the sale a gift.
Ironically, the books that were not needed in Petersburg were carefully preserved and cataloged in Washington. It is hard to imagine American Slavic studies in the 20th century without them. Yudin died in Krasnoyarsk in 1912. His library survived both the revolution and the Civil War, but already across the ocean.

Today, the 'Yudin Collection' still resides in the Library of Congress. It serves as a reminder of how easily a country can lose its own memory if it does not reach out to it in time.