London; New York; Melbourn: Hutchinson, [1943?]. 136 pp., 15 ill. 18,5x12 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Very good. General wear, a couple of small tears and creases of the covers, some light soiling, foxing of the edges. First edition. Scarce. Text in English. This collection of eyewitness accounts of the siege of Leningrad gives a vivid insight into one of history's most notorious and brutal military sieges. The articles were assembled by Nikolay Tikhonov (1896-1979), a noted Soviet writer who served on the Finnish front in the Winter War and was in Leningrad during the city's blockade (from 1941 to January 1944). The edition was printed in 1943 (most likely) when the Red Army finally managed to break the blockade, but the siege was not yet lifted. A remarkable piece of British and Soviet propaganda, this book includes 15 black and white illustrations depicting blockaded Leningrad, Soviet military equipment, German prisoners, etc. These illustrations are particularly important considering that photographs of the blockaded city were confiscated and banned from publishing (other than the official ones) after WWII ended. The book opens with a proclamation by Leningrad Defence Chiefs and Party Leaders K. Voroshilov, A. Zhdanov, P. Popkov. The edition consists of 4 sections: 'Besieged', 'Leningrad Calendar 1942', 'Breaking the Blockade', and 'Leningrad Calendar 1943'. The first section offers 10 first-hand accounts of the siege written by people who lived in the city: Nikolay Tikhonov himself, Vissarion Sayanov, Sergei Ivanov, Nina Mironova, etc. In the sections 'Leningrad 1942' and 'Leningrad 1943', Nikolay Tikhonov describes life in the city month-by-month during the blockade and reveals unknown dramatic episodes from the siege. The section 'Breaking the Blockade' includes 4 texts by Nikolay Tikhonov (eyewitness account), Major-General K. Kulik (who wrote the account while on the Leningrad front), and the noted Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg. In the texts, the authors praise the Red Army men for their heroism and predict the Soviet victory in WWII. Nikolay Tikhonov graduated from the Petersburg School of Commerce in 1911. Tikhonov entered the Red Army in 1918 and fought in the Russian Civil War. He published his first collection of poems, Orda [i.e. Horde], in 1922. In 1944, Tikhonov became chair of the Union of Soviet Writers but was dismissed by Joseph Stalin in 1946 for tolerating Zoshchenko and Akhmatova. Still, he remained an important figure in Soviet literary circles and was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957. The siege of Leningrad by German and Finnish forces lasted 872 days, from September 1941 to 27 January 1944. Up to 2 million lives were lost, including 800,000 civilians, or 40% of the city's population.
![[THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD] The Siege of Stalingrad Told in 52 Pages of Pictures and Text](https://rarebookinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/31430414041-600x663.jpg)
London: Communist Party of Great Britain, [1943]. 52 pp.: ill. 18,5x16,5 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Covers detached from block and slightly soiled, rusty staples. Otherwise very good. A wartime edition compiled by the Communist Party of Great Britain before the opening of the Second Front. The verso of the front cover features the alternative title of the publication: 'This is the epic story of the siege of Stalingrad, told in photographs, words, and maps from August 23, 1952, to February 3, 1943'. The book details the effects of World War II on Stalingrad and showcases the Soviet fight against the Nazis. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from August 23, 1942, to February 2, 1943. The bloodiest confrontation of the Second World War, the Battle of Stalingrad, was aimed at gaining control over the major industrial and transport hub on the Volga River. The edition features 61 photographs of soldiers during military actions, civilians, shelters, urban views after the heavy bombing, clouds of smoke and dust shot from airplanes, a picture of the city camouflage, and German captives after their surrender. There are also five schemes showing the movements of both armies. On September 7, the Wehrmacht formed a semi-circle around the city. In February 1943, the German 6th army, having exhausted their ammunition and food, finally capitulated, making it the first of Hitler's field armies to surrender during World War Two after five months, one week, and three days of fighting. Worldcat shows copies of the edition located at LoC, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, Northwestern, and Central Florida Universities.
![[CELEBRATING THE END OF THE DEADLIEST BATTLE IN THE HISTORY OF WARFARE] A panorama of the public rally held to celebrate the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
The panorama consists of 3 numbered photographs; apparently, the fourth one (numbered #1) is missing. The size of each photograph: 18x24 cm. Each photo with the Russian caption on the back side: '4/II 1943. A Rally in Stalingrad. Photo by Gr. Ostrovsky. Photo â (corresponding number)'. Near fine. The rally occurred on February 4, 1943, two days after the Soviet victory in the deadliest military campaign of the Second World War. According to archival figures, the USSR suffered 1,129,619 total casualties in addition to hundreds of thousands of evacuated, perished, and exiled Soviet citizens. By the time these photographs were taken, there were almost no civilians in the city, and most rally participants were surviving soldiers from the Battle of Stalingrad. Thus, it is highly likely that the person who took the photographs was either a frontline photographer from Stalingrad or a photographer invited from another city. The rally was attended by the prominent party leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) and two army commanders, General Chuikov and General Shumilov. The photos show the ruins of Stalingrad - the aftermath of the heavy bombing in the first days of the battle. The city was firebombed with 1,000 tons of high explosives and incendiaries in 1,600 sorties on 23 August. The destruction was monumental, turning Stalingrad into a sea of fire and killing thousands of civilians and soldiers. A turning point in World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad, was one of the bloodiest confrontations in the history of warfare, with an estimated 2 million total casualties from August 1942 through February 1943. By the spring of 1942, the Wehrmacht had captured vast expanses of Soviet territory, including Ukraine and Belarus. With the extremely successful initial operations, the Nazis directed their summer campaign at the southern parts of the Soviet Union. The initial objectives in the region around Stalingrad were to destroy the city's industrial capacity and block the Volga River traffic connecting the Caucasus and Caspian Sea to central Russia. On July 23, 1942, Hitler personally rewrote the operational objectives for the 1942 campaign, greatly expanding them to include the occupation of Stalingrad. Hitler proclaimed that after Stalingrad's capture, its male citizens were to be killed, and all women and children were to be deported. The battle began on August 23 with the heavy bombing of Stalingrad. Much of the city was smashed to rubble, and around 40,000 civilians were taken to Germany as slave workers. By the end of August, Army Group South (B) had finally reached the Volga, north of Stalingrad. After three months of slow advance, the Germans finally reached the river banks, capturing 90% of the ruined city and splitting the remaining Soviet forces into two narrow pockets. Recognizing that German troops were ill-prepared for offensive operations, Soviet forces launched a counteroffensive in mid-November 1942. The Soviets quickly encircled an entire German army, and, in February 1943, after months of fierce fighting and heavy casualties, the surviving German forces surrendered. After the victory at Stalingrad, the Red Army remained on the offensive, liberating most of Ukraine and virtually all of Russia and eastern Belarus in 1943. The battle for the city of Stalingrad proved a decisive psychological turning point, ending a string of German victories in the summer of 1942.
Agrar-Wandzeitung/Russ, 1942. 1 p. 83,5Ñ 59,5 cm. Two minor tears in the bottom right corner and on the left margin. Otherwise near fine. In Russian. A scarce anti-Stalinist poster promoting the agricultural policy 'The New Land Order' in Nazi-occupied territories of the Soviet Union. The poster includes two color illustrations of Soviet peasants and a caricature of Stalin. It also contains texts about the essence and benefits of 'The New Land Order'. The texts emphasize the criminal nature of Stalin's rule and christen the new agricultural policy as the only way to defeat the injustice of the Soviet regime. Most likely, the poster was printed in 1942 in Nazi-controlled territory of the Soviet Union. By 1942, Nazi Germany had occupied significant parts of the USSR, including parts of Poland and Ukraine, the western part of Belarus, etc. 'The New Land Order' was adopted by Adolf Hitler on February 15, 1942, and was based on the proposal of O. Schiller, a specialist in Soviet agriculture. The agricultural reform, developed to abolish the kolkhoz system and transfer kolkhoz lands into personal peasant ownership, was widely considered one of the German economic policy's most powerful propaganda themes. The division of lands began in the spring of 1942. The work was carried out under the supervision of the land management department at the agricultural branch of the Sever [i.e. The North] economic inspection. The remuneration of land surveyors was assigned to rural residents, and the wages were calculated at the rate of 20 rubles for each 'land-managed' hectare. According to the reports of land surveyors, by August 1, 1942, in seven counties - Pskov, Ostrovsky, Porkhov, Gdovsky, Luga, Opochetsky, and Krasnogvardeisky - the division of lands was completed by 51%. This short-lived agricultural policy ended when the USSR regained control over the German-occupied territories. Overall, an extremely rare document of the time. No copies found in Worldcat.
[64] pp. 23,5x15,2 cm. In original publisher's illustrated wrappers. Minimal tears to the spine. Otherwise very good. Scarce. First edition. A book of extracts from the Soviet Press selected from the Radio Bulletins of the Soviet Monitor and depicting the mobilization of the civilian front in the war against the Nazis. The articles deal with the Home Front's problems and cover topics such as production, agriculture, military questions, the role of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union, etc. All of the articles are dated. Most of the texts were issued in 1942, during or after the end of the Battle of Moscow. The reports underline the heroic deeds of the Red Army men and were intended to galvanize the Communist spirit of warriors and civilians. The edition opens with a preface by Ivor Montagu (1904-1984), an English filmmaker, screenwriter, and Communist activist. Joining the Communist Party in 1931, Montagu was heavily invested in promoting anti-Fascist causes during WWII. In 1940, he enlisted as a spy for the Soviet military intelligence, the GRU. After the end of the war, Montagu was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize, given by the Soviet government to several recipients whose work furthered Socialism, primarily outside of the USSR. The book was published by Labour Monthly, a magazine associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist parties, the CPGB won the support of many socialist organizations and trade unions following the political fallout of the First World War. During World War II, the CPGB mirrored the Soviet position, opposing or supporting the war in line with the involvement of the USSR. After the end of World War II, CPGB membership nearly tripled, and the party reached the height of its popularity. The book came out a year after Stalin and Winston Churchill met for the first time in Moscow. The talks started sourly; however, after hours of informal conversations, Churchill was assured that Stalin and Hitler wouldn't make separate peace terms. The November 1942 meeting became a turning point in the relationship between these two countries. Since then and during WWII, the Brits witnessed the emergence of multiple organizations supporting friendship between the USSR and Great Britain. Worldcat shows copies of the edition in Yale University Library, Princeton University Library, Library of Congress, National Defense University Library, University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of Kansas Archives, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, and Stanford University.
Sakonskaya, N.
19 pp.: ill. 12,5x17 cm. In original illustrated publisher's wrappers. A stain on the front wrapper. Otherwise near fine. Scarce. First edition. Edited by M. M. Amshinsky. This extremely rare example of a photobook for children came out at the height of WWII and was written by the Russian writer Nina Sakonskaya (1896-1951). Published by the Central Institute of Health Education of the USSR, the edition is dedicated to the importance of hygiene and a healthy lifestyle. The book echoes the 'healthy body, healthy mind' propaganda active in the 1930s-1940s Soviet Union. The dynamic design of the photobook is complemented by black and white photographs and charming photomontages depicting Katya's adventures with teddy bears. The illustrations were created by the Soviet artists L. Zyuzin and V. Arnold. Katya u medvezhat was the second collaboration between Nina Sakonskaya and the artists, with the first being V gostyakh u obez'yan [i.e. Visiting Monkeys] (1942). The book tells the story of Katya, a little girl who starts living with two teddy bears and teaches them about personal hygiene: brushing teeth, exercising, etc. Nina Sakonskaya was a Soviet musician and writer mainly known for her contribution to developing children's literature in the USSR. Shortly after the death of her parents, Nina left Baku and enrolled at the Moscow Conservatory. From 1922 to 1929, she taught music at the 2nd Moscow Music School and, in 1941, gave music lessons in Yelabuga. Sakonskaya's early work is almost unknown, although she first appeared in print in 1912 and was part of the Baku Workshop of Poets. In 1927, Nina published the children's book Knizhka eta pro chetyre tsveta [i.e. This Book is about Four Colors], which became one of her most famous works. Sakonskaya is mostly celebrated for her contribution to the development of Soviet children's literature through such works as Sine more [i.e. Blue Sea] (1940), Yagodka po yagodke [i.e. Berry to Berry] (1949), etc. Overall, a rare example of a photobook for children published during WWII. Worldcat shows one copy of the edition located at Princeton University.
[Gor'kiy]: Gor'k. krayev. izd-vo, 1936. 74, [2], 1 plan: ill., plans. 16,8x26 cm. In original publisher's illustrated wrappers. Fine condition. Extremely rare. 1 of 650 copies. First edition. Wrapper design by the Soviet artist YU. Porfir'ev. With 1 folded map and 24 black and white illustrations, including 14 photographs by M. Zvantsev, S. Stankov, D. Averkiev. Unrealized project of the botanical garden of the Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod. The botanical garden of the Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod was conceived as a major structure that was supposed to occupy 250 hectares and fulfill 3 types of goals: research tasks, learning objectives, and mass educational goals. The project dated 1936 was to include a two-story building, more than 15 departments and sections, houses for garden employees, fountains, etc.; however, due to the outbreak of WWII, the initial plan was never realized, and the size of the botanical garden was reduced from 250 to 35.2 hectares, a large laboratory building was replaced by a wooden office building, and the emphasis was placed on the cultivation of medicinal plants and educational and scientific activities. This edition, printed in 1936, offers a rare illustrative insight into the fantastic botanical garden project that never came to fruition. The publication consists of 5 sections and features texts focusing upon different aspects of the conceived construction: "Tasks, Goals and Structure of the Botanical Garden Organized in Gorky" (Professor S. Stankov); "Geobotanical Sketch of the Site Designated for the Layout of the Botanical Garden in the City of Gorky" (D. S. Averkiev); "Explanatory Note to the Draft Design of the Botanical Garden" (Professor E. Shervinsky); "Brief Explanatory Note to the Draft Design of the Botanical Laboratory" (Professor E. Shervinsky); and "Appendixes". The last chapter includes official orders on the construction of the botanical garden. Importantly, the edition is supplemented with 1 folded plan of the draft design of the garden and 24 black and white illustrations showing different areas of the garden and laboratory, vegetation on the territory of the garden, as well as projects, plans, and sketches of the conceived construction. Overall, an interesting visual insight into the unrealized project of the major botanical garden of the Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod. No copies found in Worldcat.
8 pp., [11] pp. of ill. 19.5x26 cm. In original publisher's illustrated wrappers. Tears of the spine, light damp stain at the lower left part of the front wrappers, otherwise in a very good condition. Scarce. First edition. 1 of 5,000 copies. Edited by Z. Katsnelson. Front wrapper design by the Soviet artist A. Surikov. AN INTERESTING PHOTO ALBUM DEDICATED TO THE ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF FRUNZE MILITARY ACADEMY, ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE SOVIET UNION. The early battles of the Red Army during the first stages of the Russian Civil War demonstrated that battlefield commands could not be given to former workers and soldiers with little experience with tactics. As a result, on October 7, 1918, the Revolutionary Military Council ordered the foundation of the General Staff Academy of the Red Army, based in Moscow, and taking on the functions of the Imperial-era General Staff Academy. The first intake of students, who joined on November 25 that year, numbered 183, with the official opening of the Academy taking place on December 8, 1918. In 1931, Soviet authorities announced an architectural competition for the Military Academy of M. Frunze project. According to the program of the competition, "with its architectural and artistic design, the building should express the strength and might of the Red Army, and in its internal layout, ensure high military and political training of the commander of the Red Army." Among the contestants were such famous Soviet architects as Konstantin Melnikov, Ivan Fomin, Mikhail Minkus, Lev Rudnev, and Vladimir Munts. The first place was awarded to the project of L. Rudnev and V. Munz. The layout captivated with its laconicism, elaboration of details, and brutal monumentality, which most accurately met the tasks set for the contestants. The building was constructed in 1937 and hosted the Military Academy of M. Frunze until 1998 when it was transformed into the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (the building is active presently). Published a few months before the outburst of the Great Patriotic War, the edition includes an introductory article dedicated to the architectural description of the building and 25 black and white illustrations showcasing different parts of the newly-erected Academy, including the main view, central entrance, entrance doors, door detail, mosaic panel, central staircase, sculptural bas-relief, main staircase ceiling caisson, meeting room, study, barber shop with antique equipment, baths, dining room, etc. The album is fascinating as it provides a rare illustrative insight into the face of the newly-built Academy and captures its initial appearance before the Academy experienced a number of changes in design over time. Worldcat shows 4 copies of the edition at Columbia University, UC Berkeley Libraries, University of California, and University of Texas.
50 pp.: ill. 16.8x24.1 cm. In the owner's quarter cloth binding with original wrappers is preserved. Fine condition. Scarce. First edition. With 35 black and white illustrations showing specimens of church architecture from the past of Moscow and Novgorod. AN EARLY RUSSIAN BOOK ABOUT MOSCOW AND NOVGOROD'S CHURCH ARCHITECTURE WRITTEN BY GRIGORY PALUTSKY (1861-1924), A UKRAINIAN ART HISTORIAN AND RESEARCHER OF ANCIENT UKRAINIAN ARCHITECTURE AND ICON PAINTING. The edition can be divided into two sections. In the first section, which deals with the church architecture of Novgorod city, the author distinguishes three time periods: 1) the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th century - six-pillar churches of the Byzantine type, 2) The end of the 12th century - four-pillar churches characterized by the clash of Byzantine and new motives 3) The end of the 13th century until the second half of the 14th century - the heyday of Novgorod architecture. The author begins his survey with the St. Sophia Cathedral, built in 1045. He disputes the theory of Lukomsky that the Novgorod church architecture bears traces of Armenian origin and underlines the Byzantine character of the temples. Galaktionov, step by step, analyzes numerous specimens of all three types of Novgorod church architecture and provides a vivid description of characteristic elements for each period. The second section of the book, dedicated to the Moscow church architecture, starts with a review of the first stone church, the Savior in the Danilov Monastery (1272). The author notes that, like the Novgorod temples, the Moscow architecture of this period was saturated by Byzantine motives. Galaktionov distinguishes the reign of Ivan III (1440-1505) as the most fruitful period for Moscow architecture and underlines the immense impact Dormition Cathedral (1475) had on the subsequent construction of churches. The remaining text examines various examples of Moscow church architecture from the 16th through the end of the 17th century when certain distinctive forms, such as simplicity, gave way to the European Baroque. One of the Kyiv School of Art History leaders, Grigory Palutsky, graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of the University of Kyiv in 1886. After giving trial lectures to students of the University of Kyiv, "On the Origins of Art in Greece," the young researcher received the title of associate professor, and in 1897 defended his doctoral dissertation "On Genre Subjects in Greek Art before the Hellenistic Era." The same year Palutsky was elected as an extraordinary professor of the newly established Department of Art History, where he worked until his death. A specialist in classical art, Grigory was actively involved in studying ancient Ukrainian church architecture, including wooden folk cult architecture. His book Davnye derev'yane tserkovne zodchestvo u pivdenno-zakhidnomu krayi Rosiyi [i.e. Ancient Wooden Church Architecture in the Southwestern Part of Russia] was the first comprehensive study in this area. No copies found in Worldcat.
Moscow: Gosudarstvennoye izdatel'stvo politicheskoy literatury, 1944. 247 pp.: ill., 27 ills. 26,5x17 cm. In original cloth with colored lettering and gilt portrait in profile and facsimile of Lenin on front cover; silhouette of Lenin, lettering, and embossed red flags on spine. All edges chased. Very good condition. Minor damage to cover and tear of bottom of spine, soiling of binding. A high-quality wartime edition published with no date and print run indicated. According to the similarly designed 1945 biography of Stalin, the cover, title, and layout of this edition were created by the Soviet artist Nikolay Sedelnikov (1905-1994). A VKHUTEMAS graduate, he gained fame for his type design and photomontage compositions. Together with Solomon Telingater (1903-1969) and Nikolay Ilyin (1894-1954), Sedelnikov advocated the concept of a book as a whole and was entrusted with the design of essential books commissioned by the party. The woodcut initials were created by the prominent Soviet graphic artist Pyotr Staronosov (1893-1942). A self-educated artist, Staronosov considered Dmitry Moor (1883-1946) his tutor. In particular, Moor contributed to forming Staronosov's style by strictly sorting his works for the satirical magazine Budil'nik [i.e. Alarm]. During the Civil War, Pyotr was in Siberia, where he was arrested by the Bolsheviks and sentenced to a year in a concentration camp. Living in Krasnoyarsk, Staronosov worked as a theatre and poster designer for a provincial party organization. In Siberia, he took up engraving and published his first woodcut in the newspaper Krasnoyarskiy rabochiy [i.e. A Krasnoyarsk Worker] (1922). Soon, Staronosov moved to Georgia and created linocuts for various Batumi newspapers. In 1926, he relocated to Moscow and started working as a book designer alongside such famous engravers as Vladimir Favorsky, Nikolay Kupreianov, and Alexey Kravchenko. The edition contains reproductions of photographs and numerous large-scale paintings and graphic works by various Soviet artists. An important part of the visual material shows Lenin's underground life in the summer of 1917 when he was hiding from the Provisional Government. There is also a portrait of Lenin disguised as a stoker in an attempt to escape to Finland in 1917. This photograph was mounted to his forged identification document. Overall, an important document of the time. Worldcat shows copies of the edition in LoC, Yale, Columbia, Harvard, California-LA, Stanford, Wisconsin-Madison, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Missouri, Washington, Iowa, South Carolina, Northwestern, Duke, George Mason Universities, Middlebury and Smith Colleges, and NYPL.
164 pp., 20 ills. 22x17,5 cm. In original cloth with lettering and a photograph mounted on the front cover; granite-patterned endpapers. Slightly rubbed and soiled, otherwise very good. First and only edition. One of 5000 copies. Very rare in this condition. A fascinating example of book design by Solomon Telingater (1903-1969) and the finest edition glorifying the Palace of Soviets. The edition masterfully echoed Telingater's principle of making a book a sophisticated artistic construction. Due to his significant experience in type design and printing processes, Telingater was entrusted to do whatever he wanted in a printing shop. He could print and correct every page as often as it took until he was satisfied. This particular mock-up was created with small monochrome drawings going along the text. They feature world constructions, some masterpieces of Soviet architecture built during industrialization, and various projects of the Palace of Soviets. Twenty inserts included photographs by A. Sorkin and drawings by Boris Rybchenkov made on the construction site, capturing the implemented operations. Apart from them, projects of the whole building, its parts, and illustrations relating to its interior are featured. The granite-patterned endpapers resonated with the external facing of the building. One of the chapters was devoted to the materials chosen. According to the book, several expeditions had been organized, and only Caucasian light granite fitted the requirements. The book comprehensively analyzed a project of the Palace of Soviets as a triumph of contemporary architecture, combining possible and nearly impossible. The number of decorations in the project was close to fantasy. For example, all wall paintings could have occupied an area comparable to six Red Squares. Involving folk art masters from all over the country, art objects of all techniques and materials were planned. Creators paid particular attention to problems of acoustics, crowd arranging, electrification, cleaning, and air supply - the whole Weather Factory was designed for air conditioning. Telephone, telegraph, and post services were also supposed to be. The author Nikolai Atarov (1907-1978) was not an architect but a writer able to spectacularly tell about the main project of the century, a symbol of Soviet power and triumph, the center of new Moscow. "Borders of countries will disappear. Communist settlements, not like old cities, will arise. The Palace of Soviets, crowned with the Ilyich statue, will still stand on the bank of the Moscow River". Worldcat shows printed copies located in Princeton, Yale, Columbia and North Carolina Universities.
[Moscow] OGIZ Gospolitizdat, 1943. 50, [1] pp.: ill. 16,5x11 cm. In original illustrated publisher's wrappers. Some general wear and tears of the covers. Otherwise very good. Scarce. First edition. Edited by V. Binder. During the Great Patriotic War, the theme of forced labor was widely employed in Soviet anti-Nazi propaganda. From 1942, when the first mass deportations of Soviet citizens to Nazi Germany started, the sufferings of this group occupied an important place in Soviet media. Published at the height of the deportation wave, this book is a compilation of striking letters written by the Ostarbeiters that were gathered from occupied territories of the USSR and sent to perform forced labor in Germany. Drawing upon the nature of the correspondence and the fact that the Nazis primarily deported Soviet youth, it can be assumed that most authors of the letters were under the age of 20. In the correspondence, the Ostarbeiters tell their family members about the harsh conditions (starvation, unbearable physical labor, etc.) and inhuman behavior that they were subjected to by the Nazis. Almost all letters reveal feelings of homesickness and exhaustion on the part of the writers. Most of the letters were written by those deported from Ukraine and Byelorussia (occupied by the Nazis by the beginning of 1943). In fact, according to archival data, 50% of all Ostarbeiters were formerly Soviet subjects originating from the territory of modern-day Ukraine. Some of the letters were written by former dwellers of Kursk, a city occupied by the Nazis from 1941 to 1943. The edition includes 4 black and white illustrations depicting a postcard signed by a girl while being deported to Berlin, a work card of Maria Popadchenko, who was deported from Kharkiv to Germany at the age of 14, etc. The edition closes with the transcript of a speech delivered by the Ostarbeiter Matryona Lysenko at the Third All-Slavic Rally in Moscow in 1943. The stories behind the letters are sometimes told by various Soviet writers, including Ilya Ehrenburg and S. Zhukharovich. Most of the letters are dated. The Germans started deporting civilians at the beginning of the Second World War. The deportation reached unprecedented levels following Operation Barbarossa in 1941. The Nazis apprehended Ostarbeiters from the newly-formed German districts of Reichskommissariat Ukraine, District of Galicia, and Reichskommissariat Ostland. These areas comprised German-occupied Poland and the conquered territories of the Soviet Union. According to archival data, over 50% of Ostarbeiters were formerly Soviet subjects originating from the territory of modern-day Ukraine, followed by Polish women workers (approaching 30% of the total). Eastern workers included ethnic Ukrainians, Poles, Belarusians, Russians, Armenians, Tatars, and others. Estimates of the number of Ostarbeiters range between 3 million and 5.5 million. By 1944, most new workers were under 16; 30% were as young as 12-14 when taken from their homes. Many died from starvation, overwork, bombing (they were frequently denied access to bomb shelters), abuse, and execution carried out by their German overseers. Following WW2, the occupying powers repatriated many of the nearly 2.5 million liberated Ostarbeiters; however, those who returned to the USSR faced social ostracism and were suspected of being German spies. Many were sent to isolated parts of the Soviet Union, where they were denied fundamental rights and the opportunity to further their education. Those who returned home were also physically and spiritually broken. Moreover, they were considered by the authorities to have 'questionable loyalty', and were therefore discriminated against and deprived of many of their citizenship rights. Ostarbeiters suffered from state-sanctioned stigmatization, with special references in their passports mentioning their time in Germany during the war. As a result, many jobs were off-limits to anyone unlucky enough to carry such a statu
127, [1] pp. 22x15 cm. In original publisher's wrappers. Tears of the spine and extremities, otherwise in good condition. Scarce. 1 of 5,000 copies. AN INTERESTING SOVIET MANUAL ON THE WAYS OF INCREASING MENTAL ACTIVITY WRITTEN BY THE VICTIM OF SOVIET REPRESSIONS JOSEPH REBELSKY IN 1929. The establishment of the Communist regime posed new challenges to the Soviet Society. Political authorities expected a "New Soviet Man and Woman" to develop qualities that would reflect surrounding circumstances of post-scarcity and unprecedented scientific development. As a result, one of the central places in the 'construction' of the new Soviet society was given to the problem of mental activity and its improvement mechanisms. Against this background, along with the birth of such efficiency-worshipping organizations as the League of Time, the Soviet reality witnessed the emergence of numerous editions dedicated to the subject matter. Written in 1929, this book represents an interesting manual on mental activity and ways of its improvement. The edition was compiled by Joseph Rebelsky (1894-1949), a Soviet psychiatrist, psychologist, and author of several books on the organizational sides of self-education. Head of the Department of Psychophysiology of Labor at the All-Union Industrial Academy, Rebelsky was accused of Zionism in 1949 and executed a year later. The edition features an updated text of 12 lectures read by Rebelsky at the courses of the Uyezd Party Workers of the State Institute of Theatre Arts, at the Moscow Workers' University of October Revolution, and at the Moscow Provincial School of the trade union movement MGSPS in 1924/1925. The lectures evolve around the organization of various facets of life and provide answers to such interesting questions as how to read properly? How to listen? How to prepare a speech? How to gain the attention of audience? In the beginning of the book, the author offers a detailed plan for the effective organization of mental work: creating a work schedule, calculating exact time needed for each task, recording actual time spent, etc. Rebelsky goes as far as detailing on which side of the table a dictionary (right), ink (center), or paper (left) should be placed. In the following sections, the author provides a number of recommendations about the hygiene of mental activity (to eat rationally, to keep a room at 14-15 degrees Réaumur; ca. 17.5-22.5 at the scale of Celcius) and the ways of improving different types of memory. While approaching the topic of reading, Rebelsky pays particular attention to the question of "What to Read?" and offers a list of bibliography, which includes such editions as "A Systematic Index to the Writings of Lenin", "The Program on the Main Issues of Marxism," etc. The text also features 9 rules of reading: Read with a pencil in hand! Read collectively! The author also provides instructions on how to behave at conferences, how to deliver a report, how to listen, etc., and states: "Bourgeois science told you: 'Here's the truth - bend your knee to it,' and proletarian science never ceases to remind you: 'Here's a number of propositions, figure it out, try it, improvise." Overall, an extremely interesting insight into the Soviet approach to improving mental activity. Worldcat shows 1 copy of the edition at the Columbia University in the City of New York.
[1945]. 17,5x13,5 cm. All the leaflets have been originally folded in 12 to fit in soldiers' pockets. Traces of those folds remain. Two leaflets also have rust on the creases. A curious collection of eight propaganda leaflets directed at the Red Army and disseminated by the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia in 1945. The leaflets sought to weaken Soviet military morale and convince Red Army men to join the Wehrmacht. The leaflets feature 8 black and white illustrations showing how the Committee tried to reach Soviet soldiers. The illustrations depict 'happy' Nazi collaborators in the service of Germany: soldiers from the Turkestan Legion with the Russian caption: 'Look at them, do they feel worse here?', Cossacks in Hungary with a German liaison officer, soldiers from the Azerbaijani Legion, a mortar nest with Russian volunteers, etc. All illustrations have Russian captions intended to 'bribe' Red Army men with the hospitable environment in the Wehrmacht. The back side of each leaflet showcases propaganda texts issued by the Committee: 'When will the War End?' and 'Why did we, the Former Red Army Soldiers, Officers, and Political Workers Join the Ranks of the Armed Forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia?'. According to various sources, at least 117,000 Soviet citizens voluntarily crossed the front line, risking life and limb to surrender to the Germans. In addition, up to 6% of soldiers taken prisoner by the Germans decided to join the German forces. No other allied army in the second world war had such a large share of defectors. Put together with civilians, some 1.6 million Soviet citizens became military collaborators with the fascists. Notably, most of the collaborators who survived the war were ultimately imprisoned and repatriated to the Soviet Union, where they would face execution or incarceration by the Soviet government for collaborating with the Nazis. The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia comprised military and civilian Nazi collaborators from the Soviet Union. It was founded by Nazi Germany on November 14, 1944, in Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The goals of the Committee were embodied in the Prague Manifesto, which guaranteed the freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly of any ethnic group living in territories belonging to Russia. The Prague Manifesto contained no explicit anti-Semitic or other racially inspired rhetoric, which caused a conflict with many Nazi propagandists. For the registration period, the Committee consisted of 50 members and 12 candidates (including representatives of 15 peoples of Russia) and practically performed the functions of a general meeting. By the beginning of 1945, the Committee had increased to 102 members and the Scientific Council to 100. The Committee supervised the military formations that were part of the Russian Liberation Army. In total, these formations, according to various sources, numbered about 120-130 thousand people. The chairman of the Committee was Andrey Vlasov (1901-1946), a Soviet Red Army general who the Nazis captured during the siege of Leningrad. After being caught, he defected to Nazi Germany and headed the Russian Liberation Army. After WWII, Vlasov was arrested by Soviet forces and brutally tortured. The Committee ceased to exist in 1946. Many of its members were tortured by Soviet forces on treason charges.
[104] pp.: ill., including 2 fold-outs. 39,5x26,5 cm. In original red cloth with lettering on spine and stamped lettering & red star on front cover. Illustrated endpapers. Slightly rubbed, otherwise mint. First and only edition. Rare. In English. A parade book propagating the USSR as a military superpower. The book was published for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Its design is reminiscent of issues of the magazine 'The USSR in Construction': No.1 for 1937 on the Red Navy created by the Lissitzky duo and No.10 for 1938 on Komsomol members in the Soviet Navy created by S. Telingater. Pictures for this particular propaganda piece were collected from previous publications on this topic. The book is fully illustrated with about 200 black-and-white photographs of military forces, vehicles, and Soviet youth trained for any possible alert. Relevance is raised by a picture devoted to the Lake Khasan incident as a Japanese attempt to encroach on Soviet territory in 1938. Photographer Viktor Temin photographed a Red Army man lifting a bullet-riddled Red banner in the Far East. The front endpaper features a tank view, and the back endpaper shows Georgy Petrusov's photo "Ship's Guns." One of the fold-outs publishes Dmitry Debabov's picture of endless ranks of soldiers standing on the Red Square. After large-scale purges of commanding officers, the entire Red Army and Navy personnel swore a new oath of allegiance to Stalin and Voroshilov on February 23, 1939. "The Red Army and Navy" was among the last pre-war editions Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova designed. Their other oeuvre of that time is "The Soviet Aviation." Karasik. The Soviet Photobook, 1920-1941. P. 474 Copies are found in Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, California, Stanford, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Arkansas, Denver, Minnesota, Sewanee, Miami, Michigan, Chicago, Georgia, Florida, Duke, Arizona, Delaware, Syracuse, Fairleigh Dickinson, New York, Brown Universities, Getty Institute, Art Institute of Chicago, Air Force Academy, Army War College, Bard and Westmont Colleges, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, NYPL, Cleveland and Saint Louis Public Libraries, Dartmouth Library, National Gallery of Art.
Alekseeva, E.
Leningrad: Gospolitizdat, 1945. 128 pp.: ill., 9 ills. 27,5x18,5 cm. In original full cloth with gilt lettering on front cover, and gilt and colored lettering on spine. No dust jacket. Rubbed, minor spots on p. 61/62 and insert near. Otherwise very good. First and only wartime edition. One of 10,000 copies. The book was put into print on April 18, 1945, twenty days before the capitulation of Germany. This festive edition was published for the first anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad. The siege of Leningrad lasted a grueling 872 days, from September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944, and resulted in the death of over one million civilians and Red Army defenders. The edition was designed by the graphic artist Patvakan Grigor'iants (1899-1986). After graduating from the Krasnodar Art Institute in 1925, Patvakan continued his studies in VKHUTEIN (1925-1929). Grigor'iants lived in Leningrad during the blockade. In the early months of the Great Patriotic War, he camouflaged the Siverskii military base under Leningrad. The base was captured by the Nazis in August 1941, a few weeks before the siege of Leningrad. Later, Grigor'iants joined the society 'Fighting Pencil' and became engaged in poster design. This collection praises the victory and collective heroic exploits of people under the siege. In January 1945, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded the city of Leningrad with the order of Lenin, the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union. In 1919, Petrograd was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR 'for the heroism and selflessness of the Petrograd proletariat in defense of Petrograd during the Civil War'. The edition contains an award certificate issued in cardboard and pasted on a separate leaf, a folding picture of the Soviet politicians who gave the Order of Lenin to the representatives of the city, as well as a folding drawing of the Smolny Institute, which served as Bolshevik headquarters and Lenin's residence before the government moved to Moscow and the Kremlin. The book also includes Stalin's new portrait (created in 1944) and Franklin D. Roosevelt's charter, in which he addressed the defenders of Leningrad. Worldcat shows copies of the edition located at LoC, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Cornell, Washington, Illinois, Dakota, Maryland, Duke, Syracuse Universities, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, NYPL and Newark Public Library.
96 pp.: ill. 40x26 cm. In original full cloth with lettering and design on the front cover and spine. Illustrated endpapers. Slightly soiled and rubbed, otherwise very good. First and only edition. Illustrated throughout with photomontages and photographs by Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova. The album is known to have been produced in tremendous haste. After signing the contract, the designers had just eleven days to submit a mock-up of the album and less than a month to prepare the publication for the printers. More than that, the photo books published for the 1939 New York World's Fair were without crediting the creators. In this regard, Rodchenko wrote in his diary: Making books has become entirely uninteresting. The last album for the American exhibition was printed without the names of designers or photographers. What is that? What pleasure is there in working? (May 2, 1939). The title page features an image of a five-pointed star against the sky, and this is a collage of a single airplane repeated 85 times. In real life, planes formed less elaborate patterns during flypasts: they often performed the name of Stalin or the USSR in the sky. The album consists of full- and half-page photographs and montages: the first Soviet machines of the early 1920s and contemporary aircrafts, Arctic flights, military aviation, numerous portraits of pilots, constructors, parachute jumpers - and records they broke. The pictures were compared with film stills and Hollywood advertisements. This parade edition was part of a triumphal image created for the Soviet Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Soviet Union was hardly prepared for the upcoming war but needed to express itself. The album Soviet Aviation showcased that the USSR had a modernized air force and might counterattack. Karasik, M. The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941, p. 470-471. Worldcat shows copies located in LoC, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, California, Michigan, Stanford, Texas, Harvard, Hawaii, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, New York, New Mexico, Texas A&M, Denver, Arizona, Florida, Sewanee, Carnegie Mellon, Wright, Louisville, Lewis Universities, Getty Institute, Air Force Academy, Smithsonian Institution, NYPL, Denver, RIT and St Louis Public Libraries, National Gallery of Art, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Hagley Museum, Hamilton College.
Moscow: Molodaya gvardiya, 1945. 240 pp.: ill. 25,5x19 cm. In original full cloth with colored lettering and blind debossed image of the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin. Spine and covers slightly bumped, small stains occasionally. Otherwise very good. Designed by the Soviet artist G. Manuilov. A photo book about 'the Soviet youth army' and its participation in the war effort. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the main characters of this edition were under age 24 and were ready to embrace the Soviet cult of 'fighting heroes'. The 1930s Soviet policy was dominated by the anticipation of war with the West, particularly Germany. This predisposition found its expression in launching general military courses at Osoaviakhim [i.e. The Society for the Assistance of Defense, Aircraft, and Chemical Construction] and establishing special school clubs to train Soviet citizens. 'The entire working and peasant population of our country, all honest and Soviet-minded figures in science, technology, and culture, should be involved in the activities of our organization. The enemies are arming themselves. The enemies are preparing new military ventures.', - wrote A. Nikonov, the chief military analyst of Osoviakhim, in 1929. Being constantly heated by anti-Fascist caricatures and articles in various periodicals, Soviet patriotism reached extraordinary heights in the 1930s and equally enveloped youth and adults. This book contains photographs and drawings depicting young Soviet fighters who took up arms as part of the Red Army troops or partisan detachments. Young pioneers and Komsomol members were also engaged in intensive factory labor, replacing their parents in the rear. Following the war's end, Soviet youth actively participated in reconstructing destroyed Soviet cities. The rebuilding process is documented in this photobook through pictures and reproductions of a number of posters, including 'You Promised to Shorten Time for Reconstruction of Donbas!' addressed to Soviet youth. After being demobilized, young Soviet fighters returned to study and work, mastering new skills and engaging in Socialist competition. Worldcat doesn't track this edition in USA.
Moscow; Leningrad: Iskusstvo, 1950. 3 pp., 17 pp. of ill. 29x20 cm. In original publisher's red cloth with gilt lettering on the front board. Near fine. Spine is slightly rubbed. Scarce. First edition. Published in 1950, this beautiful piece of Soviet print contains 17 chromolithograph images of the state emblems of the Union republics and the emblem of the USSR. Apparently, the edition intended to document recent changes in the emblems of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and Ukrainian SSR. Both emblems were modified in 1950, and minor changes were applied to their original appearance (Byelorussian - Flax began to be depicted with flowers instead of boxes. Ukrainian - a red five-pointed star was added; instead of a motto at the bottom of the emblem the name of the republic in Ukrainian was placed, and the slogan in Ukrainian and Russian was transferred to the side of the red ribbon). Importantly, the book includes the emblem of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic. Only six years after this edition came out, the KFSSR was abolished and incorporated into the Russian SFSR. This was the only case in the history of the USSR of merging a member republic of the Soviet Union into another republic. As a result of this change, the state emblem of the Soviet Union was modified, with one of the 16 ribbons symbolizing constituent republics removed. The emblems of other Soviet republics underwent minor changes over the course of time. Currently, three former republics of the USSR use modified versions of their Soviet emblems: Belarus (since 1995), Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The emblem of Turkmenistan was also designed based on the Soviet coat of arms, but only cotton and ears of corn remained from the original. The unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic uses a modified version of the state emblem of the Moldavian SSR.
Manuscript in scroll. Upper Armenia, 1680. 13 meters 87 cm in length (42,9 ft). 9 cm in width (3,5 inch). Composed of 35 pieces glued together. Text written in one column. 31 illuminated miniatures, 44 ornamented book initials. The manuscript is complete. Tears and wears of the scroll, with minor marginal losses, generally scroll is preserved quite well, no recent restoration was done. Extraordinary survival. The tradition of hmail amulets in Armenian culture dates back to the 15th century (the earliest known example is from 1428). They were created in different parts of Armenia and were made for the travellers. Usually the scroll consisted of the prayers and spells with some elements of 'folk Christianity' as well. According to the major specialist in scrolls Davit Ghazaryan (Matenadaran, Scientific Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts named after Mesrop Mashtots, Yerevan, Armenia), who examined our manuscript, it was written in Bardzr Hajq in the Upper Armenia. Most probably the miniatures and text were done by the same person who signed his name in the colophon adding the date as well. The collophone translates: 'The book for protection was rewritten by the hand of sinful deakon Jakob, who is from the province Vorotna, from the village Aghuerdz. Amen. For enjoyment of Äianshah, Msrshah and Halapshah, the sons of khoja Paghtasar, who is from the province Arzrum, from the Papert city. It was written on 1129 of the Armenian era (=1680) on May 13'. According to Ghazaryan none other example of Jakob's work is known, although the whole area is pretty well-researched. Amulet tradition was quite strong in Armenia in the 17th-18th centuries, however not so many examples of it have survived to our day due to the format and the constant use. The important characteristics are length, the quantity and the quality of the miniatures. In our case, the miniatures are masterly done but by a local master, not a specialist illuminist. The quantity is appropriate to the length although we have to add that it's common for the amulets to be without illustrations. For example the earliest known scroll that is preserved in full length is from 1478 and doesn't have any illustrations. The significant quality of our specimen is in the size. It's almost 14 meters long while the standard sizes are 6-7 meters. Also the longer the scroll the loss of the fragments is more likely. The longest ones that are preserved in Matenadaran in Yerevan are not preserved in full. 50% of all the scrolls in existence today lack some fragments. Together with this scroll we acquired two printed Armenian scrolls from 1718 and 1730, they are in need of restoration so we did not include them in our catalogue. However they are described, so do not hesitate to contact us about them.
Paperback, 159 pp., with illustrations throughout. A catalog of books, periodicals and other printed material featuring photomontage compositions. Concept & Idea: Pavel Chepyzhov Text: Valentina Gavrilova & Pavel Chepyzhov Editor: Stuart Eagles Graphic Design: Anastasiia Rozhkova Photo: Petr Baranov This catalog consists of 37 printed items, including books, periodicals, posters, brochures, advertisements, and a collection of slides, The Civilized Passenger is a Struggler for Safety on Mass Transportation (1933). They are brought together in one place in order to provide an overview of the phenomenon, known in the history of design as "Soviet photomontage". Each item in the catalog boasts photomontage, ranging in extent from the cover alone to entire books composed of as many photomontage images as possible. By contrast, photomontage features almost by accident on other items or, at any rate, neither the artist (illustrator) nor the author expected a photomontage design.
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