Dr O. Shcheglova graduated from Leningrad State University, where she was a disciple of Prof I.P. Petrushevsky. From 1958, she has worked at our Institute, successfully carrying on traditions of Russian Iranian Studies. She is a leading expert in the Persian tradition of lithography. She was the first scholar worldwide to study in-depth various issues of development of book printing in Iran, India, Central Asia, to define the importance of this phenomenon for the spiritual culture of Middle East. Her studies are based upon her long meticulous work for the cataloguing of collections of Persian lithographs kept in St Petersburg. Thanks to her highest professionalism, her catalogues can be treated as precious sources of various information for scholars. She issued more than 60 papers, including 6 monographs such as The Iranian Lithographic Book [Иранская литографированная книга] (Мoscow 1979, Persian translation published in Iran 2009), two volumes of The Catalogue of Lithographic Books in Persian Kept at the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies, the USSR Academy of Sciences [Каталог литографированных книг на персидском языке в собрании ЛО ИВ АН СССР] (Moscow 1975), The Catalogue of Lithographic Books in Persian Kept at Leningrad State University [Каталог литографированных книг на персидском языке в собрании ЛГУ] (Moscow 1989), Lithographic Books in Persian Published in India [Персоязычная литографированная книга индийского производства] (St Petersburg 2001), The Catalogue of Lithographic Books in Persian Kept at the Russian National Library [Каталог литографированных книг на персидском языке из собрания Российской национальной библиотеки] (Moscow 2002). The latest book of Dr O. Shcheglova, The Lithographic Book Printing in Persian in Turkestan and Bukhara [Литографское книгоиздание на персидском языке в Туркестане и Бухаре] (St Petersburg 2011), was highly appraised by academics for the author’s deep insight into the area of her study, accuracy of statements and thoroughness in work. The Habilitation Dissertation by Dr O. Shcheglova (defended in 1995) was also devoted to the study if Persian lithographic books kept at various St Petersburg collections.

Dr O. Shcheglova takes an active part in social life of our Institute, she was the academic secretary of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies for more than 15 years.

The Institute’s staff congratulates Dr Olimpiada P. Shcheglova heartily and wishes her good health, happiness and new successful works.

The IOM's Director, Prof Dr Irina F. Popova