The A.F. Marks'' Partnership Artistic Printing Office was located in St. Petersburg at 29 Izmailovskii Avenue. Founded in 1881 by the printer and publisher, Adolf Fedorovich Marks (1838-1904), the firm published the weekly journal Niva in addition to other literature. In 1916, Moscow publishing mogul Ivan Sytin purchased a controlling interest in its ownership. The Partnership was nationalized (in late 1920) and placed under Gosizdat, the state publisher. In 1922, the printer was placed under Petropechat', a state-owned trust ...

The State Publishing House had its origins in Imperial Russia as the Royal Print Yard in St. Petersburg. The Soviets nationalized the print yard in 1917 and requisitioned its presses. Out of the requisitioning emerged the Publishing House of the Petrograd (St. Petersburg) Soviet formed in the winter of 1917 by the Literary and Publishing Department of People's Commissariat for Education.