The idea of the "Great Soviet Encyclopedia came" in 1923 on the idea of Otto Schmidt, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In early 1924 Schmidt worked with a group which had Mikhail Pokrovsky, (rector of the Institute of Red Professors), Nikolai Meshcheryakov (Former head of the Glavit, the State Administration of Publishing Affairs), Valery Bryusov (poet), Veniamin Kagan (mathematician) and Konstantin Kuzminsky to draw up a proposal which was chosen in April 1924. Also involved was Anatoly Lunacharsky.