The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (; transliterated Bolshaya Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya) is one of the largest and most comprehensive encyclopedias in Russian, issued by the Soviet Encyclopedia state publisher.

There were three editions. The first edition of 65 volumes (65,000 entries, plus a supplementary volume about the Soviet Union) was published during 1926–1947, the chief editor being Otto Schmidt (until 1941). The second edition of 50 volumes (100,000 entries, plus a supplementary volume) was published in 1950–1958; chief editors: Sergei Vavilov (until 1951) and Boris Vvedenskiy (until 1969); two index volumes to this edition were published in 1960. The third edition of 1969–1978 contains 30 volumes (100,000 entries, plus an index volume issued in 1981. Volume 24 is in two books, one of them being a full-sized book about the USSR)--all with about 21 million words (Kister 365), and the chief editor being Alexander Prokhorov (since 1969).

Following the fall of police chief Lavrentiy Beria in 1953 in the wake of Stalin's death, subscribers to the second edition were sent a new article on the Bering Strait, being instructed to cut out and destroy the article on Beria and to paste in the new article.

The third edition was translated into English, beginning in 1973. Each volume was translated separately, requiring use of the index to locate specific items.

In 1957–1990 each year the Yearbook of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia was released, with up to date articles about the Soviet Union and all countries of the world.

The first online edition, an exact replica of text and graphics of the third (so-called Red) edition, was published by Rubricon.ru in 2000.

Other Soviet Encylopedias

Українська радянська енциклопедія, Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia, 17v, 1959-1965

Беларуская савецкая энцыклапедыя, Byelorussian Soviet Encyclopedia, 12v, 1969-1975

Ўзбек совет энциклопедияси, Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia, 14v, 1971-1980

Қазақ совет энциклопедиясы, Kazakh Soviet Encyclopedia, 10v, 1972-1978

Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, 12v, 1975-1987

Azeri Soviet Encyclopedia, 10v, 1976-1987

Lietuviškoji tarybinė enciklopedija, Lithuanian Soviet Encyclopedia, 10v, 1976-1985

Енчиклопедия советикэ молдовеняскэ, Moldavian Soviet Encyclopedia, 8v, 1970-1981

Latvijas padomju enciklopēdija, Latvian Soviet Encyclopedia

Кыргыз Совет Энциклопедиясы,, Kyrgyz Soviet Encyclopedia, 6v

Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, 10v

Түркмен совет энциклопедиясы, Turkmen Soviet Encyclopedia, 10v

Eesti Nõukogude entsüklopeedia, Estonian Soviet Encyclopedia, 8v, 1968-1976

Bibliography

• Great Soviet encyclopedia, ed. A. M. Prokhorov (New York: Macmillan, London: Collier Macmillan, 1974–1983) 31 volumes, three volumes of indexes. Translation of third Russian edition of Bol'shaya sovetskaya entsiklopediya
• Kister, Kenneth. Kister's Best Encyclopedias. 2nd ed. (1994)

External links

• The GSE with all pictures and articles on Rubricon
• Great Russian Encyclopedia online, Russian language

Encyclopedias | Soviet culture | Russian language

Große Sowjetische Enzyklopädie | Granda Sovetia Enciklopedio | 소비에트 대백과사전 | Grande Enciclopedia Sovietica | დიდი საბჭოთა ენციკლოპედია | Didžioji tarybinė enciklopedija | Grote Sovjet Encyclopedie | ソビエト大百科事典 | Большая советская энциклопедия