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Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) is a historical personality. His importance does not diminish with time. The myth of Jankus was created during his life, monuments for him were erected, streets and organisations were named after him. Jankus still makes a significant influence because his interests coincided and coincide with the vital interests of the Lithuanian nation and state. He played an important role in the history of Lithuanian publishing. He established a multifunctional publishing, printing and trading enterprise in Lithuania Minor governed by Prussia. The enterprise was active in 1889−1923. It was mainly oriented towards publishing and production of Lithuanian publications in Latin script prohibited by Tsarist government, and smuggling it to Great Lithuania. It published 400 books and 27 periodicals in the Lithuanian, German, Polish and Byelorussian languages. There were two priorities in Jankus' activity: commercial and idealist. The first ensured existence of the enterprise and the family; the second allowed him to implement spiritual, educational and political goals. One of the achievements by Jankus' enterprise was the productivity of his publishing work, a variety of publications as well as their orientation towards secular and polemic issues. This was an important innovation within Lithuanian publishing, formed by Jankus' orientation towards maturing the national movement, co-operation with the majority of the nation, rapidly evolving social and political powers. Jankus' historical role is also associated with the innovative experiments in publishing (he tried to produce satirical, daily, and evening periodicals), with expansion of publishing relations between Lithuanian national-revolutionary movement and similar movements in neighbouring countries. A number of Lithuanian young people acquired the qualifications in typography in Jankus' enterprise. Some of them became initiators and professionals of publishing business in Great Lithuania after the ban on Lithuanian press had been lifted in 1904. At present, the heritage published by Jankus is increasing in value. Almost all books, brochures, periodical and small publications published by him belong to the category of rarities. The search and retrieval of this published heritage is continuing, therefore, we still do not know the precise number of publications produced by Jankus. ; Vilniaus universiteto Knygotyros ir dokumentotyros institutasUniversiteto g. 3, LT-01513 Vilnius, LietuvaEl. paštas: domas.kaunas@kf.vu.ltMartynas Jankus (1858–1946) – istorinė asmenybė. Jo įvaizdis ir aktualumas laiko tėkmėje kinta mažai. Dar M. Jankui esant gyvam buvo sukurtas jo mitas, kurti ir statyti monumentai, jo vardu vadintos gatvės ir organizacijos. M. Jankus daro didelį poveikį nūdienai, nes jo interesai atitiko ir dabar atitinka gyvybiškus lietuvių tautos ir Lietuvos valstybės interesus. Svarbus jo vaidmuo lietuvių spaudos istorijoje.M. Jankaus daugiafunkcė spaudos leidybos, gamybos ir prekybos įmonė 1889−1923 m. veikė Prūsijos valdomoje Mažojoje Lietuvoje, tačiau daugiausia buvo orientuota į caro valdžios draudžiamos Didžiosios Lietuvos lietuviškos spaudos lotynišku raidynu leidimą, gamybą ir nelegalų gabenimą į Rusijos imperiją. Iš viso joje pasirodė apie 400 knygų ir 27 periodiniai leidiniai lietuvių, vokiečių, lenkų ir baltarusių kalbomis. M. Jankaus veikloje vyravo du prioritetai: komercinis ir idėjinis. Pirmasis užtikrino įmonės ir šeimos egzistavimą, antrasis leido įgyvendinti dvasinius, šviečiamuosius ir politinius siekius. M. Jankaus laimėjimu laikytinas spaudos darbo produktyvumas ir leidinių įvairovė, jų pasaulietiškumas ir polemiškumas. Šią lietuvių spaudos naujovę formavo M. Jankaus orientacija į bręstantį tautinį sąjūdį ir bendradarbiavimą su didžiąja tautos dalimi, į XIX–XX amžiaus sąvartoje veržliai kylančias socialines ir politines jėgas. Lietuvių spaudos istorijon M. Jankus patenka dėl inovacijų (satyrinio, dienraštinio, vakarinio periodinio leidinio bandymų), spaudos ryšių plėtros tarp lietuvių ir kaimyninių šalių tautinių ir revoliucinių sąjūdžių. M. Jankaus įmonėje poligrafininko kvalifikaciją įgijo nemaža lietuvių jaunuolių. Kai kurie jų po 1904 m. panaikinto lietuviškos spaudos draudimo tapo Didžiosios Lietuvos spaudos verslo pradininkais ir profesionalais. Dabarties laikais nuolat didėja M. Jankaus spaudos paveldo vertė. Beveik visos jo spausdintos knygos, brošiūros, periodiniai ir smulkieji leidiniai priskiriami retenybių kategorijai. Šio spaudos paveldo paieška ir atradimai tęsiasi, todėl mes vis dar nežinome tikslaus M. Jankaus leidinių skaičiaus.

stillenhandschrift aus dem Jahre 1573" (A manuscript of Wolfenbütteler Lithuanian Postilla published in 1573) that he defended in 1900, a historiographic essay on Lithuanina book in Lithuania Minor "Lithuanian history and our writings" (1912), some chapters in other books and articles in a journal Pagalba (Help) edited by himself. Gaigalaitis always investigated the printed or manuscript heritage de visu. Old manuscripts, books, periodicals, and calendors were primary sources for his research, data analysis, synthesis, and formulation of conclusions. During his studies he developed bibliographic skills and provided bibliographic data to Silvestras Baltramaitis – the librarian of the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg, to a serial published by Lithuanian Literary Society in Tilsit, to the professor Vaclovas Biržiška at Kaunas University. In 1905–1939 he headed a cultural-educational society "Sandora" and established its library of great scientific and cultural significance as well as increased its publishing activity. Gaigalaitis used press as an important means in realisation of strategic political and spiritual goals. He employed Lithuanian press and publications to unite the national community, to ensure its internal communication and develop NATIONAL identity, to ensure its self-expression and public relations. ; Vilniaus universiteto Knygotyros ir dokumentotyros institutasUniversiteto g. 3, LT-01513 Vilnius, LietuvaEl. paštas: domas.kaunas@kf.vu.ltVilius Gaigalaitis (1870–1945) – žymus Mažosios Lietuvos lietuvių politikas ir visuomenininkas, knygos kultūros ugdytojas ir tyrėjas. Politinė, visuomeninė ir bažnytinė veikla sudarė prielaidas bendrauti su žymiausiais leidybos, poligrafijos, knygų prekybos darbuotojais, o moksliniai interesai – bendradarbiauti su universitetų mokslininkais ir pačiam rengti mokslo darbus. Svarbiausi iš jų buvo 1900 metais apginta daktaro disertacija ,,Die Wolfenbütteler litauische Postillenhandschrift aus dem Jahre 1573" (1573 metų lietuviškos Wolfenbüttelio postilės rankraštis), Mažosios Lietuvos lietuviškos knygos istoriografijos apybraiža ,,Lietuvos nusidavimai ir mūsų rašliava" (1912), kai kurie skyriai kitose jo knygose ir straipsniai jo paties redaguojamame žurnale "Pagalba". V. Gaigalaitis rankraštinį ir spaudos paveldą visada tyrė de visu. Senieji rankraščiai, knygos, periodiniai leidiniai, kalendoriai jam buvo pirminis tyrimo, duomenų analizės, sintetinimo ir išvadų formulavimo šaltinis. Studijų metais įgijo bibliografo įgūdžių, lietuvių retrospektyviosios bibliografijos duomenis teikė Sankt Peterburgo imperatoriškosios viešosios bibliotekos bibliotekininkui Silvestrui Baltramaičiui, Lietuvių literatūros draugijos tęstiniams mokslo darbams Tilžėje, Kauno universiteto profesoriui Vaclovui Biržiškai. Vadovaudamas kultūros švietimo draugijai "Sandora" (1905–1939), sukūrė jos didelės mokslinės ir kultūrinės svarbos biblioteką ir išplėtojo leidybinę veiklą. V. Gaigalaitis nuosekliai rėmėsi spauda siekdamas strateginių visuomenės politinio ir dvasinio vadovo tikslų. Jis lietuviškus leidinius tikslingai naudojo tautinės bendruomenės telkimui, vidinei komunikacijai ir tautinio tapatumo ugdymui, jos saviraiškai ir viešiesiems ryšiams.

Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) is a famous worker of Lithuanian press in Prussia, aparticipant of national movement, a politician who supported bringing together two parts of theLithuanian nation separated by the borders between German and Russian empires. Over more than40 years he had published and printed 395 non-periodical and 27 periodical publications in Lithuanianand some in German and Byelorussian languages. Among the authors of these publications,there were many significant representatives of Lithuanian and other nations: writers, ethnologists,historians, Protestant theologians and politicians. Jankus' personality was formed by the life styleof a peasant family, social environment of his native Bitėnai village and the pressure of national discriminationaffecting the indigenous people. He attended only a primary school and later self-educatedhimself by reading voratiously literature about Lithuania and Lithuanians. Lithuanian newspapersand especially the works by Georg Sauerwein, a defender of the interests of small nations in the Germanempire, published in them have increased his motivation for social activity. The active politicalmovement of the end of the 19th century and the election campaigns to the Prussian Landtag andGerman Reichstag directly influenced his decision to participate in publishing. In 1879–1888 he publishedseveral leaflets in support of Lithuanian candidates, some books, pamphlets and calendars forthe cultural education of Lithuanians. Among these publications Jankus included his own collectionsof original and folk poetry as well as prose translated from German and Polish languages augmentedby polemic articles. When Jankus got acquainted with the members of the national movement inGreat Lithuania, he became an editor and administrator of the Lithuanian periodical "Auszra" establishedby them. Other editors stayed on his farm in Bitėnai. As there was a lack of popular literature,Jankus and his companion published the Lithuanian "Auszra" calendar ("Lietuviškas "Auszros"kalendorius") in 1883 and 1884. The texts of educational and applied character were published in thecalendar as well as literary texts, such as original and translated poetry and prose. They were written by Lithuanian authors Jonas Basanavičius, Andrius Jonas Vištelis, Petras Vileišis, and writers of other nations such as Sauerwein, Józef Ignac Kraszewski, Adam Mickiewicz, Ivan Krylov, Aleksandr Puškin, William Shakespeare and Guy de Maupasannt. For many Lithuanians these translations were the first acquaintance with the world literature.Martynas Jankus used to order printing of his books, calendars and "Auszra" in the printing houses of nearby towns, such as Ragnit (Lith.: Ragainė) and Tilsit (Lith.: Tilžė). Their production was disseminated in Lithuania Minor and smuggled to the Great Lithuania, which was under the strict ban on Latin printing introduced by the Russian tsarist regime. For this purpose, Jankus established a network of illegal disseminators of literature. It consisted of two sectors: secret book transporters over the border and disseminators in the Great Lithuania and legal storage owners near the border on the side of Prussia. This network was extended along the German-Russian border from Palanga till Dubeningken (Lith.: Dūbininkai; Dubeninki in present day Poland).The first stage of publishing activity was successful for Martynas Jankus. He acquired publishing expertise, knowledge of organizing illegal business, created long-term relations with the owners of printing houses, established the network for the dissemination of publications, developed skills to supply it with different printing materials and information. By March of 1889, the publisher from Bitėnai had established his own printing house in Ragnit and started printing business. This was the start of the second stage of Martynas Jankus' activity. ; Vilniaus universiteto Knygotyros ir dokumentotyros institutasUniversiteto g. 3, LT-01513 Vilnius, LietuvaEl. paštas: domas.kaunas@kf.vu.lt Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) ‒ žymus Mažosios Lietuvos lietuvių spaudosveikėjas, tautinio sąjūdžio dalyvis ir politikas, Vokietijos ir Rusijos imperijossienos perskirtų lietuvių tautos dalių suartinimo šalininkas. Jis per daugiaukaip 40 veiklos metų išleido ir išspausdino 395 neperiodinius ir 27 periodiniusleidinius lietuvių ir kitomis kalbomis. Tarp šių leidinių autorių buvonemaža reikšmingų XIX–XX a. rašytojų, etnologų, istorikų, protestantų teologų,politikų. M. Jankaus asmenybę suformavo valstietiška šeima, gimtojoBitėnų kaimo socialinė aplinka ir gyventojus autochtonus slegianti tautinėsdiskriminacijos atmosfera. Vokiškoje mokykloje gavęs tik pradinį išsilavinimą,lavinosi savišvietos būdu. Visuomeninei veiklai motyvavo lietuviškiejilaikraščiai, didelę įtaką padarė juose skelbta Vokietijos imperijos mažųjųtautų interesų gynėjo vokiečio Georgo Sauerweino kūryba. Imtis leidybospaskatino aktyvus XIX a. pabaigos politinis sąjūdis, ypač rinkimų į Prūsijoslandtagą ir Vokietijos reichstagą kampanijos. Lietuvių kandidatų palaikymotikslu jis 1879–1888 metais išleido keletą agitacinių proklamacijų, tautiečiųkultūriniam švietimui skirtų knygų, brošiūrų ir kalendorių. Tarp jų buvopaties Jankaus parengtų originaliosios ir tautosakinės poezijos, iš vokiečiųir lenkų kalbų verstos prozos rinkinių. Suartėjęs su Didžiosios Lietuvos tautiniosąjūdžio dalyviais, Jankus tapo jų įkurto periodinio leidinio "Auszra"atsakinguoju redaktoriumi. Šio straipsnio tikslas yra išanalizuoti pradinįJankaus leidybos etapą, pasibaigusį spaudos įmonės įsigijimu 1889 m. iraktyvaus dalyvavimo tautiniame bei kultūriniame sąjūdyje pradžia. Jislėmė Jankaus viso gyvenimo ir visuomeninės veiklos, peraugusios į politinę,kryptį.REIKŠMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: Bitėnai, Prūsija, Paprūsė, Mažoji Lietuva, lietuviškos spaudos draudimas,atsišaukimai, knygos, kalendoriai, periodika, "Auszra", leidyba,spausdinimas, spaustuvė, leidinių reklama, leidinių platinimas, knygnešiai.

An owner of a printing house and a publisher, Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) was a citizen of Germany and a Lithuanian of the East Prussian region. He was an active member of the Lithuanian national movement of the 19th – early 20th century. He supported the opposition of the people of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which was annexed and integrated into the Russian empire in 1795. When the usage of the Lithuanian language in Latin script was banned in 1864–1904, Martynas Jankus started printing illegal books and newspapers in his printing house and transporting them secretly to the Russian empire. He supported publishing "Auszra" and "Varpas" the most influential newspapers of the national movement. In 1918, after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania, this veteran of Lithuanian culture and politics was highly appreciated and attracted close attention of journalists. He publicised quite many memoirs about the publishing and distribution of illegal press, known newspaper editors and book authors, printers, and publishers. The greatest value for historiographic research of the book resides in three generalised memoirs that M. Jankus attempted in his late years. They include the publication "Smuggling of Lithuanian books" ("Lietuviškų Kningų Kontrabanda") which was published in the newspaper "Tėvynė" (1918) edited by Lithuanians in the USA, and two unpublished manuscripts: an exhaustive narrative (27 pages) without a title about the state of the Lithuanian press and language during the period of the growth of the national movement, sent to the professor linguist of the Göttingen university (Germany) Eduard Hermann, and the memoirs "An encyclopedia of my adventures" (,,Mano prietikių enciklopedija") written in the form of a scholarly encyclopedic dictionary characterizing the acquaintances of M. Jankus. The advantage of the memoirs lays in the point of view of the author who is a direct participant and observer of the factual events, political and social processes, and characters of persons. Foreign researchers appreciate the knowledge of M. Jankus' cooperation with the participants of Byelorusian, Polish, and German national and revolutionary movements and assistance in their literary publishing. On the other hand, although this author wrote many published and unpublished memoirs, they were small in size, written in the journalistic style and quite open. Therefore, they raised contradictions and critical comments of the public. Many did not understand the character of M. Jankus, which was conditioned by differences in cultural and religious traditions based on the civil rights of Prussian citizens, implying a much greater religious and political freedom. His publications and opinions were not self-controlled or limited in any way. The author sincerely depicted the positive and negative sides and character of the national movement and its participants. He was among the first to raise the issues of Polonized and estranged Catholic priests and the vices of the book smuggling as a social phenomenon. The Lithuanian society was not matured enough at his time and did not support him. The dethronement of the movements, communities, and leaders that had a national character was not tolerated during M. Jankus' lifetime; it is not tolerated in modern society, either.

An owner of a printing house and a publisher, Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) was a citizen of Germany and a Lithuanian of the East Prussian region. He was an active member of the Lithuanian national movement of the 19th – early 20th century. He supported the opposition of the people of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which was annexed and integrated into the Russian empire in 1795. When the usage of the Lithuanian language in Latin script was banned in 1864–1904, Martynas Jankus started printing illegal books and newspapers in his printing house and transporting them secretly to the Russian empire. He supported publishing "Auszra" and "Varpas" the most influential newspapers of the national movement. In 1918, after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania, this veteran of Lithuanian culture and politics was highly appreciated and attracted close attention of journalists. He publicised quite many memoirs about the publishing and distribution of illegal press, known newspaper editors and book authors, printers, and publishers. The greatest value for historiographic research of the book resides in three generalised memoirs that M. Jankus attempted in his late years. They include the publication "Smuggling of Lithuanian books" ("Lietuviškų Kningų Kontrabanda") which was published in the newspaper "Tėvynė" (1918) edited by Lithuanians in the USA, and two unpublished manuscripts: an exhaustive narrative (27 pages) without a title about the state of the Lithuanian press and language during the period of the growth of the national movement, sent to the professor linguist of the Göttingen university (Germany) Eduard Hermann, and the memoirs "An encyclopedia of my adventures" (,,Mano prietikių enciklopedija") written in the form of a scholarly encyclopedic dictionary characterizing the acquaintances of M. Jankus. The advantage of the memoirs lays in the point of view of the author who is a direct participant and observer of the factual events, political and social processes, and characters of persons. Foreign researchers appreciate the knowledge of M. Jankus' cooperation with the participants of Byelorusian, Polish, and German national and revolutionary movements and assistance in their literary publishing. On the other hand, although this author wrote many published and unpublished memoirs, they were small in size, written in the journalistic style and quite open. Therefore, they raised contradictions and critical comments of the public. Many did not understand the character of M. Jankus, which was conditioned by differences in cultural and religious traditions based on the civil rights of Prussian citizens, implying a much greater religious and political freedom. His publications and opinions were not self-controlled or limited in any way. The author sincerely depicted the positive and negative sides and character of the national movement and its participants. He was among the first to raise the issues of Polonized and estranged Catholic priests and the vices of the book smuggling as a social phenomenon. The Lithuanian society was not matured enough at his time and did not support him. The dethronement of the movements, communities, and leaders that had a national character was not tolerated during M. Jankus' lifetime; it is not tolerated in modern society, either. ; Vilniaus universiteto Knygotyros ir dokumentotyros institutasUniversiteto g. 3, LT-01513 Vilnius, LietuvaEl. paštas: domas.kaunas@kf.vu.ltMartynas Jankus (1858–1946) buvo aktyvus XIX a. pabaigos–XX a. pradžios lietuvių tautinio sąjūdžio dalyvis. 1918 m. atkūrus nepriklausomą Lietuvos valstybę, lietuvių kultūros ir politikos veteranas buvo aukštai įvertintas ir sulaukė didelio visuomenės ir žurnalistų dėmesio. Atliepdamas paskatoms, jis ganai dažnai skelbė atsiminimus apie nelegaliosios spaudos leidimą ir platinimą, žymius laikraščių redaktorius ir knygų autorius, spaustuvininkus ir leidėjus. Knygotyros istoriografiniams tyrimams didžiausią vertę turi trys M. Jankaus senatvės amžiaus bandymai parašyti apibendrinamojo pobūdžio atsiminimus. Tai publikacija "Lietuviškų Kningų Kontrabanda", išspausdinta JAV lietuvių laikraštyje "Tėvynė" (1918), ir du nepublikuoti rankraščiai: Getingeno (Vokietija) universiteto kalbotyros profesoriui lituanistui Eduardui Hermannui 1929 m. išsiųstas laiško pavidalo išsamus be pavadinimo pasakojimas apie lietuvių tautos, lietuviškosios spaudos ir lietuvių kalbos būklę tautinio atgimimo kilimo laikais ir apie 1935–1937 m. rašyti enciklopedinio žodyno pobūdžio atsiminimai "Mano prietikių enciklopedija", apibūdinantys M. Jankaus pažintus asmenis. Atsiminimų pranašumas yra faktinius duomenis, politinių ir socialinių procesų vyksmą, asmenybių charakteristiką vienijantis autoriaus kaip tiesioginio įvykių dalyvio arba stebėtojo požiūris. Užsienio tyrėjai vertina žinias apie M. Jankaus bendradarbiavimą su baltarusių, lenkų ir vokiečių tautinio ir revoliucinio judėjimo literatūros leidybos dalyviais. Kita vertus, nors publikuotų ir nepublikuotų atsiminimų šis autorius parašė gana daug, tačiau jie buvo palyginti nedidelės apimties, publicistinio žanro ir nestokojo atvirumo. Tai sukeldavo visuomenės prieštaravimų ir kritinių atsiliepimų. Daug kas nesuprato M. Jankaus charakterio dėl kultūrų ir tikybos tradicijų skirtumo, įdiegtos Prūsijos piliečių teisės į nepalyginti su Didžiąja Lietuva aukštesnio lygio politinę ir religinę laisvę. Autorius nuoširdžiai vaizdavo pozityviuosius ir negatyviuosius tiek tautinio sąjūdžio, tiek jo dalyvių asmenybių bruožus, galbūt vienas iš pirmųjų aštriai kėlė lietuviškosios spaudos draudimo laikų sulenkėjusios ir susvetimėjusios katalikų dvasininkijos ir knygnešystės kaip socialinio reiškinio ydas. Tokiam požiūriui lietuvių visuomenė nebuvo subrendusi ir jo nepalaikė.

An owner of a printing house and a publisher, Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) was a citizen of Germany and a Lithuanian of the East Prussian region. He was an active member of the Lithuanian national movement of the 19th – early 20th century. He supported the opposition of the people of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which was annexed and integrated into the Russian empire in 1795. When the usage of the Lithuanian language in Latin script was banned in 1864–1904, Martynas Jankus started printing illegal books and newspapers in his printing house and transporting them secretly to the Russian empire. He supported publishing "Auszra" and "Varpas" the most influential newspapers of the national movement. In 1918, after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania, this veteran of Lithuanian culture and politics was highly appreciated and attracted close attention of journalists. He publicised quite many memoirs about the publishing and distribution of illegal press, known newspaper editors and book authors, printers, and publishers. The greatest value for historiographic research of the book resides in three generalised memoirs that M. Jankus attempted in his late years. They include the publication "Smuggling of Lithuanian books" ("Lietuviškų Kningų Kontrabanda") which was published in the newspaper "Tėvynė" (1918) edited by Lithuanians in the USA, and two unpublished manuscripts: an exhaustive narrative (27 pages) without a title about the state of the Lithuanian press and language during the period of the growth of the national movement, sent to the professor linguist of the Göttingen university (Germany) Eduard Hermann, and the memoirs "An encyclopedia of my adventures" (,,Mano prietikių enciklopedija") written in the form of a scholarly encyclopedic dictionary characterizing the acquaintances of M. Jankus. The advantage of the memoirs lays in the point of view of the author who is a direct participant and observer of the factual events, political and social processes, and characters of persons. Foreign researchers appreciate the knowledge of M. Jankus' cooperation with the participants of Byelorusian, Polish, and German national and revolutionary movements and assistance in their literary publishing. On the other hand, although this author wrote many published and unpublished memoirs, they were small in size, written in the journalistic style and quite open. Therefore, they raised contradictions and critical comments of the public. Many did not understand the character of M. Jankus, which was conditioned by differences in cultural and religious traditions based on the civil rights of Prussian citizens, implying a much greater religious and political freedom. His publications and opinions were not self-controlled or limited in any way. The author sincerely depicted the positive and negative sides and character of the national movement and its participants. He was among the first to raise the issues of Polonized and estranged Catholic priests and the vices of the book smuggling as a social phenomenon. The Lithuanian society was not matured enough at his time and did not support him. The dethronement of the movements, communities, and leaders that had a national character was not tolerated during M. Jankus' lifetime; it is not tolerated in modern society, either.

An owner of a printing house and a publisher, Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) was a citizen of Germany and a Lithuanian of the East Prussian region. He was an active member of the Lithuanian national movement of the 19th – early 20th century. He supported the opposition of the people of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which was annexed and integrated into the Russian empire in 1795. When the usage of the Lithuanian language in Latin script was banned in 1864–1904, Martynas Jankus started printing illegal books and newspapers in his printing house and transporting them secretly to the Russian empire. He supported publishing "Auszra" and "Varpas" the most influential newspapers of the national movement. In 1918, after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania, this veteran of Lithuanian culture and politics was highly appreciated and attracted close attention of journalists. He publicised quite many memoirs about the publishing and distribution of illegal press, known newspaper editors and book authors, printers, and publishers. The greatest value for historiographic research of the book resides in three generalised memoirs that M. Jankus attempted in his late years. They include the publication "Smuggling of Lithuanian books" ("Lietuviškų Kningų Kontrabanda") which was published in the newspaper "Tėvynė" (1918) edited by Lithuanians in the USA, and two unpublished manuscripts: an exhaustive narrative (27 pages) without a title about the state of the Lithuanian press and language during the period of the growth of the national movement, sent to the professor linguist of the Göttingen university (Germany) Eduard Hermann, and the memoirs "An encyclopedia of my adventures" (,,Mano prietikių enciklopedija") written in the form of a scholarly encyclopedic dictionary characterizing the acquaintances of M. Jankus. The advantage of the memoirs lays in the point of view of the author who is a direct participant and observer of the factual events, political and social processes, and characters of persons. Foreign researchers appreciate the knowledge of M. Jankus' cooperation with the participants of Byelorusian, Polish, and German national and revolutionary movements and assistance in their literary publishing. On the other hand, although this author wrote many published and unpublished memoirs, they were small in size, written in the journalistic style and quite open. Therefore, they raised contradictions and critical comments of the public. Many did not understand the character of M. Jankus, which was conditioned by differences in cultural and religious traditions based on the civil rights of Prussian citizens, implying a much greater religious and political freedom. His publications and opinions were not self-controlled or limited in any way. The author sincerely depicted the positive and negative sides and character of the national movement and its participants. He was among the first to raise the issues of Polonized and estranged Catholic priests and the vices of the book smuggling as a social phenomenon. The Lithuanian society was not matured enough at his time and did not support him. The dethronement of the movements, communities, and leaders that had a national character was not tolerated during M. Jankus' lifetime; it is not tolerated in modern society, either.

An owner of a printing house and a publisher, Martynas Jankus (1858–1946) was a citizen of Germany and a Lithuanian of the East Prussian region. He was an active member of the Lithuanian national movement of the 19th – early 20th century. He supported the opposition of the people of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which was annexed and integrated into the Russian empire in 1795. When the usage of the Lithuanian language in Latin script was banned in 1864–1904, Martynas Jankus started printing illegal books and newspapers in his printing house and transporting them secretly to the Russian empire. He supported publishing "Auszra" and "Varpas" the most influential newspapers of the national movement. In 1918, after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania, this veteran of Lithuanian culture and politics was highly appreciated and attracted close attention of journalists. He publicised quite many memoirs about the publishing and distribution of illegal press, known newspaper editors and book authors, printers, and publishers. The greatest value for historiographic research of the book resides in three generalised memoirs that M. Jankus attempted in his late years. They include the publication "Smuggling of Lithuanian books" ("Lietuviškų Kningų Kontrabanda") which was published in the newspaper "Tėvynė" (1918) edited by Lithuanians in the USA, and two unpublished manuscripts: an exhaustive narrative (27 pages) without a title about the state of the Lithuanian press and language during the period of the growth of the national movement, sent to the professor linguist of the Göttingen university (Germany) Eduard Hermann, and the memoirs "An encyclopedia of my adventures" (,,Mano prietikių enciklopedija") written in the form of a scholarly encyclopedic dictionary characterizing the acquaintances of M. Jankus. The advantage of the memoirs lays in the point of view of the author who is a direct participant and observer of the factual events, political and social processes, and characters of persons. Foreign researchers appreciate the knowledge of M. Jankus' cooperation with the participants of Byelorusian, Polish, and German national and revolutionary movements and assistance in their literary publishing. On the other hand, although this author wrote many published and unpublished memoirs, they were small in size, written in the journalistic style and quite open. Therefore, they raised contradictions and critical comments of the public. Many did not understand the character of M. Jankus, which was conditioned by differences in cultural and religious traditions based on the civil rights of Prussian citizens, implying a much greater religious and political freedom. His publications and opinions were not self-controlled or limited in any way. The author sincerely depicted the positive and negative sides and character of the national movement and its participants. He was among the first to raise the issues of Polonized and estranged Catholic priests and the vices of the book smuggling as a social phenomenon. The Lithuanian society was not matured enough at his time and did not support him. The dethronement of the movements, communities, and leaders that had a national character was not tolerated during M. Jankus' lifetime; it is not tolerated in modern society, either.

Engl. Zsfassung u.d.T.: The "Auszra" archive: Martynas Jankus' collection