sign in sign up
<<
Home , Abram Arkhipov, Battleship Potemkin, Dziga Vertov, Ivan Nikolaev, OSA Group, Samizdat

www.bookvica.com

SOVIET DIY: SAMIZDAT & HAND-MADE BOOKS. RECENT ACQUSITIONS

2017 F O R E W O R D

Dear friends,

Please welcome our latest venture - the October catalogue of 2017. We are always in search for interesting cultural topics to shine the light on, and this time we decided to put together a collection of books made by amateurs and readers to spread the texts that they believed should have been distributed. Soviet State put a great pressure on its citizens, censoring the unwanted content and blocking the books that mattered to people. But in the meantime the process of alternative distribution of the texts was going on. We gathered some of samizdat books, manuscripts, hand-made books to show what was created by ordinary people. Sex manuals, rock’n’roll encyclopedias, cocktail guides, banned literature and unpublished stories by children - all that was hard to find in a Soviet bookshop and hence it makes an interesting reading. Along with this selection you can review our latest acquisitions: we continue to explore the world of pre-WWII architecture with a selection of books containing important theory, unfinished projects and analysis of classic buildings of its time like Lenin’s mausoleum. Two other categories are dedicated to art exhibitions catalogues and books on cinema in 1920s. We are adding one more experimental section this time: the books in the languages of national minorities of USSR. In 1930s the language reforms were going on across the union and as a result some books were created, sometimes in scripts that today no-one is able to read, because they existed only for a short period of time. Our goal is to show the well-known cultural phenomenons from alternative angles, making them more prominent. The books are the best instruments to understanding those phenomenons, as they are projections of culture.

Bookvica team

2 I SOVIET SAMIZDAT & DIY-BOOKS

01 [SOVIET KAMA SUTRA] Two books on sex, originating from the same source:

1.Entsiklopediya intimnoi zhizni [i.e. The Encyclopedia of Intimate Life]. [N.p., 1970s]. 44 leaves. 30x22 cm. Typescript. In owner’s plastic folder. Soiling and deformations of the folder, clean text block.

The Soviet underground translation of an American book from the 1960s. On the title page it’s stated ‘Detgiz’ (main Soviet publishing house for children’s books) in the place where the publisher should be, which is probably an irony by the creators of this samizdat copy. The text is in the form of a dialog between sexologist and married couple. Translation is very interesting linguistically as the at the time was not very prepared for this topic and sometimes the translator had to look for phrases and expressions that didn’t exist yet. Also unusual is the fact that homosexuality is mentioned but not as a separate topic, but while discussing other matters. The homosexual relationships are mentioned in the neutral contexts, while in USSR at the time the special article of the criminal code was dedicated to ‘Sodomy’ and the homosexuality was often viewed as a mental abnormality.

2. [Kama Sutra]. [1980s]. 92 black and white photos in album. 18,5x14 cm. Handmade album, originally a large quarto notebook, cut to the size of the photos. The leaves glued together, using the cardboard strips between them for solidity. This improvised binding’s rear cover is folded as a bookmark.

Album without a title. Few photos are montaged during development to show the positions of the bodies in motion. First photograph is also montaged showing erogenous zones. Occasional handwritten notes naming the positions and describing the emotions of male and female, e.g.: ‘‘Male perceives female in general which works

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 3 to female’s favour, because in the moment of sexual arousal she becomes very attractive, so male after this won’t ‘stare’ at other females’’; ‘‘classic European position aloud by Queen Victoria, male is trying to stimulate female’s clitoris with his penis’’. It’s our understanding that the album and the book could have been used together.

Title page. No 01

Photograph. No 01

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 4 Photograph (erogenous zones). No 01 Photograph. No 01

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 5 02 [RADIO PRISON] Hand-made congratulatory charter. [Leningrad: 1st correctional labor colony, 1933]. 45x30 cm. Hand-written, watercolor.

The charter was made by the prisoners of LFZITK #1 on the 16th anniversary of the . In the colony there was a radio workshop presumably consisting of engineers and workers of the radio industry. In this ‘sharashka’ they made radio equipment. We don’t know the number of people involved, but there are 19 signatures at the bottom of the charter, some of the names can be identified: Gusev, Nilov, Dvornikov, Panov, Andreev, Glazdorev, Samsonov. The note in pencil says that the charter’s design made by the prisoners as well. The monogram ‘B.N.’ stands in the right bottom corner. The charter gives us the opportunity to glimpse into life of prisoners of Stalin era pre-1937. In the text signed by the chairperson of the group some bizarre inconsistencies can be noticed. It was addressed to Georgy Borisovich Metlin who was managing the group, but his status was not mentioned. He’s been congratulated with the anniversary of the Revolution, but addressed as ‘gospodin’ instead of ‘tovarishch’ - the address, that was heavily associated with the pre- bourgeoisie. In the second paragraph prisoners wished that under Metlin’s guidance they could provide the radio devices for the to help cultural building of the . The year of 1933 could be considered the year when Soviet radio started: although ‘Radioperedacha’ was broadcasting newspaper articles starting from 1924, only in 1933 the all-Union radio-channel Radio-1 was created in . It is possible that the radio prisoners of LFZITK #1 was creating the equipment for that occasion.

03 [ANIMAL FARM] Ferma zhivotnykh [i.e. Animal Farm]. [N.p., 1970s]. Typescript. 61 leaves. 30x21 cm. Owner’s cardboard binding. Fine.

The first page contains a short biography of George Orwell, taken from Big Soviet Encyclopedia, printed in 1974. Orwell’s satire on the totalitarian regime was too candid for

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 6 Soviet censors, so the author was labeled as ‘trotskist’ in 1930s and was never published during Soviet era. However it’s not widely known that Orwell corresponded briefly with ‘Internatsionalnaya literatura’ magazine [i.e. International literature], in 1937. The editor-in-chief of the periodical wrote him asking to send his new novel ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’ to Moscow because periodical was interested in publishing it. Orwell sent the book replying that he could even write something specially for the magazine but also that they should know he recently fought in Spain on the side of POUM, and that led to the abruption of all the contacts with Orwell from Soviet side. From that time on Orwell’s name was under taboo in official press, and his books were published only in late 1980s. Animal Farm was first published in USSR in Latvian periodical ‘Rodnik’ in 1988. Certainly Animal Farm as well as 1984 was too significant and interesting reading material for an ordinary soviet man, the dweller of the actual farm, so it’s appearance in Samizdat was inevitable. According to Arlen Blum (‘Zvezda’, #6, 2003) samizdat versions of Animal Farm started to appear in USSR in late 1960s.

No 02 First page. No 03

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 7 04 [UNDERGROUND POETRY] Ambako [i.e. Lyrics]. [Tbilisi: published by Bread and Salt Academy, 1960]. 51, [2] Pp. 20x15 cm. Cloth binding. Fine. Author’s photograph after the title page (actual photo glued to the page). Text in Georgian.

The collection of the frivolous verse created by the unknown author for the group of his friends, all hidden under pseudonyms. The language of the book is very allegorical, so it wouldn’t be understood by unwanted audience. The joyous character of the book is reflected even in the information about the edition: ‘‘Printrun: as many as you like; technical editor: sturgeon; editor: chipurt; price: one bread and butter’’. The book contains 11 verses filled with inside jokes and references, often with erotic content (like the metaphoric description of a group sex with ballerinas in poem ‘Two Swans’). An interesting example of mockery samizdat in Tbilisi intellectual circles in 1960s.

Title page. No 04 Photograph. No 04

05 [ROCK’N’ROLL ENCYCLOPEDIA] [Cohn, Nik]. [Rock from the Beginning]. [N.p., 1970s]. 315 leaves. 28,5x21 cm. Owner’s cardboard binding. Typescript. Text on rectos only. Pp. 135, 150, 191 laid in. Unauthorised fan translation of Nik Cohn’s iconic rock history

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 8 book. This copy can be called a ‘3rd run’: there was an ‘original’ typescript, then a few English titles were corrected in pen in the 2nd run and in this copy a few indistinct phrases are corrected in pen as well. The copy starts with a table of contents and a preface, without a title page as a usual case in Soviet samizdats. The content includes: The Beginning, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Classic Rock, ’School’, P..J. Proby, English Pop, America of the 1960s, Twist, Spector Sound, California, Should, Beatles, Rolling Stones, English Rhythm’n’Blues, Bob Dylan, Folk Rock, London in 1964-68, Monkees, Love, The Who, Super-Pop; with two addendums: US Top Singles. 1950 - 1968, Pop and Cinema. Nik Kohn’s book translated probably from American edition of 1969 was the Bible of rock’n’roll history for the generation of Soviet people interested in western music. During 1970s-80s rock movement was still illegal, even though the Soviet was not as strict as in pre-Thaw times. While The Beatles and easy ‘dancefloor’ bands were sometimes OK, -filled verses of Bob Dylan were surely not on the list of Soviet cafe musicians of that time and could have lead the one reading or performing them into custody. It was also a main source of information for the people associated with the Russian Rock culture of 1980s. For example, when Boris Grebenshchikov was publishing his almanac ‘Roksi’ in 1977 Nik Cohn was mentioned as one of the inspirations.

06 [JAZZ ENCYCLOPEDIA] Dorůžka, Lubomír. Litso sovremennogo dzhaza [i.e. The Face of the Modern Jazz]. [Minsk, 1973]. 240 pp. 30x21 cm. Cardboards. Bumped on corners, small tears of the spine.

The lengthy overview of the jazz tendencies of late 1960s-early 1970s was created in Prague by jazz critic Lubomír Dorůžka (1924- 1970) and printed by the record label Supraphone in 1970. We can presume that the copy of that book was brought to USSR and translated in Belarus from Czech. Most of the music mentioned in the book (western jazz) was impossible to hear in USSR, except on underground vinyl records.

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 9 Dorůžka himself was familiar with Soviet jazz scene and the impact his books had on audience behind the Iron Curtain, it’s known that his books were circulating in Samizdat also in and other socialistic countries. Belarus could be considered one of the jazz centres of the union. Belarussian Eddie Rozner (1910-1976), who played with Louis Armstrong in 1930s in 1939 moved to Belarus and with the support of the secretary of Belarussian branch of communist party Panteleimon Ponomarenko found the Eddie Rozner orchestra, which had the official status. Soon Rozner was convicted and spent 10 years imprisoned, his legacy was silenced, but since that time Minsk became unofficial jazz capital. In 1971 Duke Ellington gave 8 concerts in town, one of which ended up in the band marching on the streets of Minsk playing. The perception of jazz in USSR was ambiguous. Flourished in 1920s during NEP, in 1930s it was labeled as ‘bourgeois’. However some jazz scene existed as well as clubs, but it always had the closest attention of the controlling parties. Western jazz was mostly banned. That’s why this book couldn’t be published openly.

Table of contents. No 05 Title page. No 06

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 10 07 [HOW TO MAKE CAMPARI IN SOVIET KITCHEN] [Soviet cooking book]. Handwritten album, with newspaper clippings to illustrate courses. [N.p., 1970-80s]. 265 pp. 29x21 cm. Cloth folder. Fine.

An interesting and somewhat naive document of the time. Apparently the complier of this book tried to include as many ‘international’ recipes as possible, often putting the originating country in brackets. A lot of the clippings come from foreign newspapers. The ingredients however more or less match the assortment of the Soviet food stores. As a result we can see the attempt to diversify often scarce meals using the available ingredients. The sections included in the book are salads and cold starters; starters; meat, poultry and wildfowl; garnish, potatoes, cereals; vegetables; fish; conservation of food; dough products; deserts, jams and conservations of fruits and berries; pickles and marinades; desert, beverages, cocktails; other. The section on cocktails contains some of the simplest cocktails imaginable like ‘Cocktail with beer and tea’ which is essentially the 50% of cold tea with 50% of beer and lemon on the side (optional). Cocktail ‘Cubanito’ reminds us of Сuban-Soviet relationship, however the author of the book was not familiar with the Havana Club rum, so it was called ‘Abana club’ instead. Altogether the book gives 30 recipes for cocktails, including Campari, mulled wine, ‘Old Russian’, ‘Polar Night’, ‘Winter tale’, ‘Flaming iceberg’, etc. The author gives us 20 coffee variations, half of which contain alcohol. There are special subsection of recipes from the stale bread (9 recipes) including the method on how to freshen up stale bread. Author included advices on table manners: if you are taking the sugar cube out of the bowl, don’t touch the cubes near it; don’t blow on the soup to cool it; at the end of the book there are the tables of the cutlery that are appropriate for different courses. It’s hard to imagine how one should obtain different types of forks in the reality of deficit.

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 11 No 07

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 12 08 [MARINA TSVETAEVA] Tsvetaeva, M. Two samizdat books: 1. Lebediny stan. Stikhi 1917-1920 g.g. [i.e. Swan’s Stature. Poems of 1917- 1920]. 33 pp. 21x14 cm. 2. Komediant. 1918-1919 [i.e. Comic. 1918-1919]. [Akademgorodok, late 1970s-early 1980s]. 14 pp. 21x14 cm. Both books were printed on Soviet computer Elektronika-60. It was introduced in early 1960s in different institutions across the Soviet Union including Akademgorodok in Novosibirsk - a special think tank suburb created for scientists. While the machines were used for cybernetic purposes, it was possible to produce small illegal print runs of desired literature easier than with . Needle was used.

The books are coming from the library of Oleg Fyodorovich Vasiliev (1925-2017), oceanologist and academic of Russian Academy of Science. The book ‘Lebediny stan’ was never published during Tsvetaeva’s life. It was originally written during and about the , more specifically the White Guard, where Tsvetaeva’s husband Sergei Efron served. Spending 1920s in Paris Tsvetaeva tried to publish her book of ‘counterrevolution verse’ as she called it but couldn’t find any takers. When she got back to the USSR she decided to give the manuscript to Basel University, where it was held until in 1957 Gleb Struve (1898-1985) prepared the first edition that came out in Munich. Our samizdat is probably copied from it. It seems that the typesetter didn’t pay attention to the text much because there are a lot of pen corrections, even lines added by the reader. ‘Comediant’ was a series of poems dedicated to Yuri Zavadsky (1894-1977), MKHAT artist who featured in famous ‘Princess Turandot’ and ‘Woe from Wit’ stagings.

09 [MOSCOW-PETUSHKI] Erofeev, Venedikt. Moskva–Petushki [i.e. Moscow to the End of the Line]. Moscow: Self-published, 1981. [3], 67 leaves. 30x20,5 cm. Light green card boards. Original carbon copy typescript; first 52 leaves printed on translucent onion paper with thicker white paper interpolated for ease

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 13 of reading. A few corrections in ink. Very good. Traces of moisture to card boards and parts of the text, not affecting legibility.

Rare samizdat edition of a text known primarily through its illicit circulation during the 1970–1980s. Written in 1969 «Moscow- Petushki» was published abroad in ‘tamizdat’ form in Israel (1973) and Paris (1977), but could not be published legally in Moscow until 1989. Now acclaimed as one of the iconic texts of post-war Soviet literature, the novel describes ‘a day in the life of the alcoholic Venichka Erofeev, setting out from Moscow to the small provincial town of Petushki to meet his sweetheart. Drinking more and more in the course of the journey, the hero finally falls into an alcoholic delirium, in which he has visions of terrible murders and he experiences his own metaphysical murder. The book is full of deep and biting social satire’ (Cornwell 283). This copy is an unusually constructed samizdat: the text is printed on thin, translucent onion skin paper, which required interspersing additional white leaves for ease of reading. Not in the Sayag Collection. Not in Samizdat (Bremen: Temmen, 2000), which notes an undated 1978 edition of the text on 88 leaves. No samizdat copies of works by Erofeev traced through KVK, OCLC.

No 08

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 14 10 [GRANDFATHER LENIN] Pamiati V.I. Lenina [i.e. In Memory of V.I. Lenin]. [N.p., 1920s]. 11 pp.: ill. 21,5x18 cm. Handwritten school notebook. Small tears of the covers, otherwise very good.

The unique survival of the time. Watercolor picture of Lenin as a child is on the front cover signed by child’s hand (V. Antonovich) as well as the title ‘‘In Memory of V.I. Lenin’’ and ‘‘#1’’ at the top. Notebook includes 6 children’s poems, each signed, and 6 drawings in pencil and watercolor paint. The first poem is dated (30th of January, Friday) and a title ‘‘Behind the Lenin’s Coffin’’. died on the 21st of January in 1924 and was put in a mausoleum 6 days later. So these poems are composed and written short after that and full of sorrow and grief. Lenin was considered a leader of the proletariat and father of a young Soviet country. ‘Grandfather’ Lenin was the primary source, challenging the authority of which would put the whole communist system under attack unlike the challenge to Stalin’s authority was put at stake only by the totalitarian regime (Lenin fought for the revolution, and ‘Koba’ - for power). Throughout existence of Soviet Union children were taught respect and love for ‘grandfather’ Lenin, not Stalin. There are three portraits of a young Lenin in the notebook and all of them have a resemblance with Parkhomenko’s drawing from a Little Oktobrists five-pointed star badge. In 1923-1924 Little Oktobrists was a name of the children born in 1917, the year of the . Later the term was used for the youth organization for children between 7 and 9 years of age. Another drawing shows funeral procession. A portrait of a grown Lenin follows the poem titled ‘‘Five Nights and Days’’ referring to the time for which the coffin was installed in the Hall of Columns for the official farewell. In general, all poems are gloomy and heavy which was very in tune with the epoch: ‘‘And snowflakes are falling and falling on Lenin’s white from the snow coffin’’. At the same time the cult of his persona started to flourish even more: ‘‘Lenin is dead - Lenin is alive!’’. In the form of a civil religion of national scale, the cult of Lenin spilled out immediately after his death. The task was to establish an emotional connection between people and the party, personified by Lenin.

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 15 Considerable attention was paid to the of Leninism among children. The stories of the childhood of an energetic, diligent boy Volodya, who never forgot his duty to the people, were to become a model of behavior for every Soviet child. And the idealized ‘Ilyich’ - named after his patronymic in order to make it closer and more accessible - served as the personification of the regime in the guise of a smiling good-natured who saved and loved children. It was expected that the children brought up by Leniniana would grow up loyal Soviet citizens, and their youthful love for Lenin in maturity would turn into devotion to the Soviet power. A very interesting detail about mausoleum’s drawing in the notebook: the depicted building is the second temporary mausoleum designed by Aleksei Shchusev made out of wood - a documented evidence of the famous architect’s work which existed only for 5 years.

Cover. No 10

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 16 No 10

11 [CLASSROOM SCI-FI] Puteshestvie na Veneru [i.e. Travel to Venus]. [N.p., July of 1948]. [54 pp.] 14x20 cm. In a oblong notebook. Lacks boards.

A handwritten fantastic novel created by 12- or 13-year- old Alexey Kozlov. It tells a story of two friends-astronomers, Mikhail Vasilievich and Alexander Ivanovich, working in Pulkovo observatory in 1905. They construct a rocket and travel to Venus while playing chess. After the arrival they communicate with local people (‘venuziytsy’) and learn about their lifestyle. Turns out the socialistic revolution happened 100 years ago on Venus, the bourgeoisie was overthrown, and now the entire planet is a republic run by a Senate and 25-year-old president- scientist. The Martians made contact with ‘venuziytsy’ 45 years ago, and they had revolution as well, so the two planets are eternal friends and the spaceship goes between them daily. Through this naive story we can learn about the perception of space of a young adult in 1940s in USSR. The other side of the notebook has a drawing of a Syrian castle, the score of Botvinnik-Bronstein game, a bit of football tactics and two pages of a satiric poem called ‘The Emergency at the tomb of Napoleon’ telling the story of Napoleon arising from a grave to warn Hitler not to attack Russia. Presumably the poem is written by the same author.

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 17 12 [UNPUBLISHED CHILDREN’S BOOK] Skazka kak Lyon’ka-Buza pionerom stal [i.e. Fairy Tale of How Shindy Lyon’ka Became a Pioneer]. [N.p., 1930s]. 10 pp.: ill. 28,5х22 cm. In paper boards with a colored front cover. Squared notebook, violet pencil, drawings on separate leaves of paper bound in.

Manuscript layout for a children’s book that was never printed. Notebook with handwritten text in verse and drawings. The text was written by Alexander Kuznetsov which is handwritten in pencil on the first page. Front cover and 16 illustrations made by artist Konstantin Konstantinovich Ivanov (1921-2003). He worked mostly in political, propaganda and satirical art and his satirical style can be seen in this manuscript. Satirical story in verse about a young rebellious country man who is transformed into pioneer (youth organization in USSR) by the end of the tale. It is not a miracle transformation but forced on him by his parents through taking him to ispolkom (i.e. executive committee of the village) where he had a conversation with the chairman behind closed doors. When he came outside he changed and wanted to study and become a pioneer. Such satirical propaganda was common in Soviet Union.

Illustrations. No 12

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 18 Cover. No 12

13 [CHILDREN’S LITERARY GAME]

Literaturnyi kvartet [i.e. Literary Quartet]. [N.p., 1930s]. 60 cards. Heavy paper, black and red ink. Very good. Some staining and pencil corrections, general wear.

A rare survival of the time. The cards are supposed to resemble playing cards. Each card has a suite - it’s a name of Russian writer: Gorky, Andreev, Severianin, Kuprin, Kipling, A.N. Tolstoy, Sasha Chiorny, Merezhkovsky, Balmont, Sologub, Kellerman, Loti, Korolenko, Chekhov, Blok. The name is followed

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 19 by a small drawing in sync with his work (boots for Gorky, skull for Andreev, mask for Blok, etc.) Each card has four literary titles, e.g. for Kipling they are Jungle, India, The light is Out, Brave Seamen. Each suit has four cards, they bear same titles but each card has a different title highlighted red. The game starts when 6 or 8 cards are given out to each player without showing the contents. The purpose is to get as many literary quartets (all four titles of one author) as one can by exchanging cards with other players after addressing right person a right question. Game is played in turns. When one gets a full quartet it is laid aside. The game continues until all quartets are gathered. The winner is a player who gathered most quartets. It’s hard to know where this Soviet game originates (it is mentioned in a book ‘‘Games and Entertainment’’ by N. Bolberg in 1935, and also such game was being sold in stores in 1930s) but it definitely stayed and was played by many generations to come. Only types of ink and names on cards changed which today is a sign of the era.

No 13

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 20 No 13

SOVIET SAMIZDAT 21 II ARCHITECTURE

14 [ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS ON CONSTRUCTIVIST ARCHITECTURE]

Ginzburg, M.Y. Stil’ i epokha: Problemy sovremennoi arkhitektury [i.e. Style and Epoch: Problems of Contemporary Architecture]. Moscow: Gosizdat, [1924]. 238 pp.: ill. 22x18 cm. In contemporary binding (cloth spine, cardboards; original wrappers are not preserved). General wear of the binding, scuffed rear board, tear of the rear free endpaper and half-title, previous owner’s signature on the title page and last page. Otherwise very good.

Worldcat First edition. One of 2000 copies. Very rare! locates copies This influential work of architectural theory by one of the in Columbia, Getty, Stanford, founders of Soviet in architecture Moisei Ginzburg (1892- NYPL, Berkeley, 1946) which became the manifesto of constructivist architecture, a style University of Illinois, University which combined an interest in advanced technology and engineering of Michigan. with socialist ideals. The book has similarities to ’s ‘‘Vers une Architecture’’ (1923) which has never been translated into Russian. Ginzburg is mostly famous for the in Moscow. He was the founder of the OSA Group (Organisation of Contemporary Architects), which had links with and Osip Brik’s LEF Group. The OSA experimented with forms of Communal apartments to provide for the new Communist way of life. Its magazine ‘‘SA’’ (Sovremennaya Arkhitektura [i.e. Contemporary Architecture]) was created by Ginzburg, , Aleksei Gan, Varavara Stepanova, , it featured discussions of city planning and communal living, as well as the futuristic and avant-garde projects by , Le Corbusier, and others. The book was regarded as very important by the OSA so in 1927 it was sent out to the subscribers of the ‘‘Contemporary Architecture’’. The book Style and Epoch shows Ginzburg’s path to constructivism. In the early 1920s, Ginzburg viewed constructivism as a necessary early stage in the development of a new architecture, not yet

ARCHITECTURE 22 Cover. No 14 Title page. No 14

Illustration. No 14

ARCHITECTURE 23 realizing its style-forming role as an influential creative future. The book received wide resonance and evoked various responses of contemporaries. For many, it became a manifesto of early constructivism, and provoked a stormy reaction from the opponents with its pointed language. It helped many Soviet architects in that transitional stage to determine their creative positions.

15 [ARCHITECTURE OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS] Serk, L.A. Arkhitektura promyshlennykh zdanii [i.e. Architecture of Industrial Building]. Moscow; Leningrad: Gosizdat, 1927. 421, [2] pp.: ill. 27x18 cm. In original publisher’s cardboards. Binding mildly rubbed, a spot and signature on the title page, bookshop’s stamp on the title page, vertical crack of the rear board, otherwise very good and internally clean.

No copies in First edition of the first book. Very rare. One of 3000 copies. Worldcat. This is a one of the first new architectural textbooks for new generation on how to design and build industrial building. A very thorough book on designing manufactures accompanied by numerous schemes, plans, black and white photographs. Text goes from general thoughts on types of industrial buildings to all specific details, including calculations. Interesting that used photographs include buildings from all around the world and a few projects by author himself. Leo Serk (1882-1954) was a Russian and Soviet engineer, architect, and professor with the main focus on industrial constructing (member of Academy of Architecture of USSR). He was not only the author of textbooks and manuals for students but also one of the creators of construction regulations in USSR in 1920s which were not updated since 19th century. Before 1917 his architectural bureau constructed more than 100 industrial buildings after his designs what made him the largest specialist in industrial architecture before the revolution. Even though Soviet architecture in 1930s went a very different from 1920s direction students had to be educated using latest and best architecture discoveries and examples.

ARCHITECTURE 24 16 [LAST DAYS OF ART GROUPS] Mikhailov, A.I. Gruppirovki sovetskoi arkhitekury [i.e. Soviet Architectural Groups]. Moscow; Leningrad: OGIZ-IZOGIZ, 1932. 133, [2] pp.: ill. 21x15 cm. In original photomontage wrappers. Tears and rubbings of the extremities, loss of small pieces of the spine. Otherwise very good.

WorldCat locates First edition. Very rare. One of 5000 copies. copies in Getty, This is a compilation of articles by Aleksei Mikhailov, art critic Columbia, UCLA, Yale, University and architecture theoretician, one of the founders of VOPRA (Association of Chicago, of Proletarian Architects). It’s peculiar to see how opposing art groups University of Michigan. coexist in one book. Even more interesting is the fact that later in the same year all independent literary and artistic groups were banned by the decree of the party’s central committee. Freedom and diversity came to an end, there came the era of a one true ideology - the . Articles are titled Groups of Architectural Front and Goals of Proletarian Architects; About ‘Restoration’ and National Architecture; Formalism in Soviet Architecture; Ideology of Architectural Constructivism; VOPRA-ASNOVA-OSA: To the Topic of Idealogical and Methodological Differences; Architecture Groups at the Palace of Soviets’ Competition. Text is accompanied by bibliographical references and many black and white photographs of existed buildings and projects which never came to life by described groups and architects - VOPRA, Ladovsky, Iofan, Shchusev, ARU, VKHUTEIN, Fomin, Ginzburg, et al. It is worth of noting that the design of this edition itself is significant and reminds us about constructivism: photomontage wrappers, layout and text design, dymanic photographs, e.g. Narkomfin building shot from an unusual angle. Today even a book by an ardent critic of avant-garde is valuable as a source of information about rich and dynamic artistic life of 1920s.

ARCHITECTURE 25 Photographs. No 15 Cover. No 16

Design. No 16

ARCHITECTURE 26 17 [ARCHITECTURE FOR TEENAGERS] Murashov, P.V. Molodomu stroiteliu ob arkhitekture [i.e. For Young Architect About Architecture]. [Moscow; Leningrad]: Gosstroiizdat, 1933. 108, [3] pp.: ill., 1 pl. 20x14 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Good, tears and lossed of the spine, general soiling and rubbing of the cover, pen marks on the front wrapper, t.p., and p.17.

No copies in First edition. One of 10000. Rare. Worldcat. From a series «Scientific and Technical Library for Teenagers». A great example of ‘propaganda of knowledge’ - book on architecture for school students full of black and white photographs and drawings. To make the narrative interesting for young people among topics are building stadiums and sport parks, modern construction in capitalistic countries and in USSR, making green parks in big cities, et al. Among everything else (from gothic churches to New York skyscrapers and village houses in Malaysia) are photographs of Narkomfin building, Palace of Soviets’ project, Moscow planetarium, Einstein’s observatory in Potsdam, and a plate with comparative drawing of tallest buildings in the world, finished and not - 38 building and a special given to the Palace of Soviets without Lenin statue (225 m). Interesting to see a list of «Important Architects and Their Most Significant Buildings» in the end of the book which features such names as Vesnin brothers, Mel’nikov, Ginzburg, Golosov brothers, Ladovsky, Iofan, et al.

Cover. No 17

ARCHITECTURE 27 18 [LENIN’S MAUSOLEUM] Stoianov, N.N. Arkhitektura Mavzoleia Lenina [i.e. Architecture of the Lenin’s Mausoleum]. Moscow: Gos. izdatel’stvo arkhitektury i gradostroitel’stva, 1950. 103 pp.: ill., 2 ill. 23x17 cm. In original Soviet cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and stamping on the front board (both faded). Very good, erased inscription on the front board, inscriptions in pen on the t.p. and front and rear free endpapers, number on the back of the frontispiece (ink), some rubbing and soiling of the boards. On one of two plates Beria’s fidure is painted over with a pencil (he was arrested and executed in 1953, and his images were banned).

First edition of a very thorough account on construction of today’s classic Moscow building - Lenin’s mausoleum. The book includes many rare photographs of a temporary and then permanent building as well as design of exterior and interior. The author goes through history shining light on how the temporary and permanent mausoleum was created and its features, he analyzes its architecture, brings together a list of all 59 illustrations in the text and a list of bibliography (16 items). The mausoleum of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is a unique architectural object, a monument of the Russian avant-garde. For many years the mausoleum was one of the symbols of the Soviet state and is now considered a classic of Soviet architecture. Also the building is a UNESCO monument as part of the Red Square ensemble. Initially the author of the mausoleum Aleksei Shchusev completed the project of the temporary mausoleum - for all the preparatory work was given three and a half days, and it was a simple cube made of wood. Shchusev wrote about the internal structure: ‘‘The layout of the mausoleum was calculated by me in such a way as to create a traffic schedule ensuring the uninterrupted skipping of large masses of visitors’’. In May 1924 the mausoleum was rebuilt into a massive wooden structure made of oak with metal fasteners. The third version was formed in Shchusev’s sketches gradually. The interior is distinguished by strict, large forms of geometric decoration. It is noteworthy that the coffin of Lenin was placed in a special triangular shaped glass sarcophagus. It was performed by another famous architect - , creating a unique sarcophagus in the form of a crystal (after the war, this sarcophagus was replaced by another).

ARCHITECTURE 28 Cover. No 18 Comparative chart. No 18

No 18

ARCHITECTURE 29 III CINEMA & THEATRE

19 [PUDOVKIN’S FAMOUS EDITING TECHNIQUES] Pudovkin, V.I. Kinostsenarii: Teoriya stsenariya [i.e. Film Script: The Theory of a Script]. Moscow: Kinopechat’, 1926. 64 pp. 15x11 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Rear wrapper is detached and the front wrapper is almost detached from the text block, low margin of p.19 is cut off. Otherwise very good.

Worldcat locates The first book by (1893-1953), a Russian copies in Bowdoin and Soviet film director, screenwriter and actor. Pudovkin, proves just College Library, USC Library. how integral Russian film was to cinema at the beginning of the 20th century by providing his own montage theory, slightly different from that of Eisenstein, that formed the foundation of the classic Hollywood style of editing, which is used in almost every film today. «The foundation of film art is editing.» In this edition he for the first time describes his editing techniques: contrast, parallelism, , simultaneity, and leit motif. Each of these techniques are in every editor’s arsenal and used in virtually every film made around the world. The constructivist design of the wrappers by Piotr Galadzhiev (1900-1971), Soviet actor, set designer and artist who besides participating in theatre productions was also an illustrator for a few film magazines. He also designed covers for the film magazine Kino- Eye and for the popular film library Kinopechat, for which he produced a cover for the 1926 pamphlet on and his famous film ‘’.

20 [HOW TO SHOOT NEWSREEL] Boltiansky, G.M. Kinokhronika i kak ee snimat’ [i.e. Newsreel and How to Shoot It]. Moscow: Kinopechat’. 1926. 75 pp.: ill. 17x13 cm. In original photomontage wrappers. Some wear of the wrappers, loss of the small

CINEMA & THEATRE 30 piece of the rear cover, Soviet bookshop’s ink stamp on the rear cover, very rare foxing in text, otherwise very good.

Worldcat locates Rare. First edition of the second book. One of 10000 copies. paper copies in MOMA and Despite a general propaganda agenda of the book (newsreel University as a weapon of agitation and an ideology form) it presents interesting of Southern materials on this specific type of cinema - newsreel. It accompanied by California. photographs: shooting of Battleship Potyomkin, shooting of Red Square during military parade, ‘subbotnik’ in 1920, in 1918, American and English shots - all taken from newsreel. Grigory Moiseevich Boltiansky (1885-1953), Soviet film historian, director, professor, founder of the revolutionary newsreel and one of the founders of Soviet cinematography. He was teaching at VGIK since 1931 where he organized newsreel department. He also founded the first museum of cinema in 1926 under State Academy of Artistic Sciences (both were destroyed in 1932 when all art groups were banned). Interesting that the museum was never reopened (materials were saved in different collections) probably because the history and history of cinema was rewritten every ten years so there was no need in archives, in newsreel, in historic re-evaluation. In the beginning author gives a brief history on first newsreels (western ‘‘bourgeois’’ newsreel ‘hiding class contradictions’), modern news cinema and their technical advancement. The author continues with Russian pre-Revolutionary state of newsreel (the beginning of regular shows was in 1912). It’s ironic how he states that ‘‘Soviet newsreel put forward the true creator of history - the masses instead of the cult of the personality of the bourgeois chronicle’’. Author briefly describes current state of Soviet newsreel (poor), and moves on to influence which newsreel had on feature (e.g. Battleship Potiomkin) and also vice versa (new methods in newsreel which came from films are close-ups, close details, cutaways, etc.). He also analyses the appearance of a new genre - agitka (short propaganda chronicle). Boltiansky mentions the Kinoks (‘kino-oki’, i.e. cinema-eyes) which was a collective of Soviet filmmakers in 1920s Russia, based most notably around famous . Even though author calls their art theories ‘formal sectarianism’ he values their practical achievements in newsreel (but he considers it to be more of feature than documentary nature). Next part dedicated to technical details of newsreel: work

CINEMA & THEATRE 31 specialty (three types of newsreel workers - producer, editor and cameraman, additionally - gaffer), equipment, shooting plan and its two phases - preparational and technical, editing, captions (being one of the most important parts of the whole process). Last part is about amateur film chronicles - types of cameras (with photographs), what and how to shoot, what to do with material, etc. Overall, an interesting piece with reference to such important signs of an era like the Kinoks and agitka.

Cover. No 21 Cover. No 22

Photos. No 22

CINEMA & THEATRE 32 21 [AVANT-GARDE CINEMA] Levidov, M. Chelovek i kino: Estetiko-sotsiologicheskii etiud [i.e. Mankind and Cinematography: An Aesthetic and Sociological Study]. Moscow: Kino- izdatelstvo RSFSR Kinopechat, 1927. 112 pp. 13,5 x 17,5 cm. Original illustrated photomontage wrappers. Tiny tears of the spine, Georgian stamp on the title page ‘From books of Nico Mitsishvili’. otherwise very good.

Very rare. First and only edition. One of 3500 copies. Worldcat locates 6 copies in The constructivist edition by Mikhail Levidov (1891–1942) US libraries who was well-known Soviet writer and journalist of 1920s. Levidov was (Columbia, MOMa, USC the author of the articles on cinema, literature and theatre. He worked Libraries, with the avant-garde magazine LEF. In 1926 Levidov devised the ‘Big University of Five’ of early Soviet cinema consisting of Kuleshov, Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Illinois, University of Chicago, Vertov and Room. LACMA). This book is about a role of cinema in the lives of Soviet people and people from capitalistic countries. He also systematised American cinema dividing it into four categories and explain the reason why these categories were unsuitable for Soviet viewers. Nico Mitsishvili (1896–1937) was well-known Georgian writer and poet, the member of the Georgian symbolist group Blue Horns. He compiled and published in Russian the book ‘Poets of Georgia’ (1922), which included translations of Blue Horn poets by Osip Mandelstam. He met Mandelstam in Batumi in 1920 when he escaped from Civil War to Georgia and was detained. These memories were written in Mitsishvili’s ‘Shadow and Smoke’ (1930). He was also the chief editor of the publishing house of the Russian-language newspaper Zaria Vostoka where Vladimir Maiakovskii and Sergei Esenin worked.

22 [SPECIAL EFFECTS IN 1920s] Seeber, G. Tekhnika kino-triuka [i.e. Tricks in Cinematography]. Moscow: Tea-kino-pechat’, 1929. 213, [3] pp.: ill. 17,5x13 cm. In original printed wrappers. Tears of the wrappers, sunning and foxing of the front wrapper, loss of small pieces of the spine, owner’s pen signature on title page. Otherwise very good.

CINEMA & THEATRE 33 Cover. No 23 Cover. No 24

Illustration. No 16

Photograph. No 24

CINEMA & THEATRE 34 Worldcat locates First and only Russian edition. Rare. One of 4500 copies. two paper copies (MOMA With 40 illustrations and photographs, Eisenstein’s introduction and University and edited by Tisse. of Southern California). In his introduction Eisenstein writes about new Soviet cinematography, its becoming and main social direction. In the end he called the original Seeber’s work a German ‘chrestomathy of tricks’ of pulp fiction kind, and praised the work of translators (V. Nilsen and S. Gofman) for making the book more like ‘a directory of technical abilities of cinema’. Guido Seeber (1879-1940) was a German cinematographer and pioneer of early cinema. In addition to his technical talents with the camera, his use of perspective and skillful contrasts between light and dark are noteworthy. In this work originally published in German in 1927 he described many ‘tricks’ (really special effects techniques) of filming process, including fade in and out, dissolve, sudden transformations, animation, reverse shooting, ghosts, double exposure, optical equipment (mirrors, turning camera around while shooting, glass sphere, etc.), shooting fireworks and moon, accelerated shooting, how to choose the right camera, and other ‘tricks’. Text is accompanied by photographs, illustrations, and schemes.

23 [JEWISH THEATRE IN RUSSIA] Deich, A.I. Maski evreiskogo teatra: Ot Gol’dfadena do Granovskogo [i.e. Masks of Jewish Theatre: From Goldfaden to Granovsky]. Moscow: Izd- vo Russkoe teatr. o-vo, 1927. 48 pp. 14,7x11,3 cm. In original printed illustrated stapled wrappers. Some spots and stain on the front wrapper, stain on the title page, couple of tiny closed tears of the rear wrapper, staples with some rust. Otherwise very good.

First edition. One of 10000 copies. Worldcat locates Alexander Deich (1893-1972) was literary critic, translator, and copies at Harvard writer. He wrote for different Kiev and Moscow magazines, and also and the University of Texas (at published many literary and biographical books. This is his first book, Austin). and it is dedicated to a history of Jewish theatre in Russia. In his story he mentions two most important names for Jewish theatre - Abraham Goldfaden (1840-1908) and Alexey Granovsky (Granowski; 1890-1937),

CINEMA & THEATRE 35 both Russian-Jewish theatre directors. The main focus is one Granovsky of course as he was the founder of Moscow State Jewish Theatre (GOSET). Deich describes Granovsky’s artistic methods and running productions (the first show in Moscow in 1921 was ‘The Evening of Sholom-Alekheim’ which was decorated by Mark Chagall). The year after this publication Granovsky went on tour with GOSET abroad and never came back to USSR. The theatre was shut down in 1948 due to anti-Jewish repressions.

24 [PLAYS FOR PEASANTS]

Lebedev, I.I. Skomorokh: Sbornik pies dlia raboche-krestianskogo teatra [i.e. Buffons: A Collection of Plays for Theatre of Workers and Peasants]. Moscow; Leningrad: Gosizdat, 1927. 192 pp.: port. 18x14 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Restoration of the spine, closed tear and careful restoration of the rear cover, small tear of the upper margin of a few last pages, owner’s pen correction of the table of contents (the last play in this edition wasn’t named). Otherwise very good.

No copies found First edition. Rare. Inscribed by the author on the title page: in Worldcat. ‘‘To dear Vladimir Petrovich Nemeshaev for long memory. Iv. Lebedev. 3/ VIII/27’’. Vladimir Nemeshaev was the director of copyright department and employee of the Moscow Society of Dramatic Writers and Composers. Ivan Lebedev (1859-1945) was a Russian and Soviet poet and playwright. His first success was in 1905 with his play ‘‘Ladybug’’ which depicted the bitter fate of intellectuals and enlighteners in stagnant life of a village. His other plays were built on simple unsophisticated plots and subject and included songs and chastushki. This edition consists of 5 plays and two introductions but he wrote much more than that. The introduction to this edition was written by (1875-1933) who was the first Soviet People’s Commissar of Education. In this he calls Lebedev ‘peasant’s writer’ and expresses regret that only five plays were printed in the collection but if there were more ‘‘such book wouldn’t be affordable for a peasant’’. Also Lunacharsky claims that all Lebedev’s plays are quickly consumed by peasants, ‘they are known in every village’. No wonder there was this attention from the government to Lebedev (Lunacharsky even petitioned for Lebedev’s

CINEMA & THEATRE 36 pension after 50 year of life in writing): people were leaving countryside for cities, and there was a need for positive stimulus in art form.

Cover. No 25 Cover. No 26

Title page. No 26

CINEMA & THEATRE 37 IV ART EXHIBITIONS

25 [FIRST EXHIBITION OF THE 16 ART GROUP] Vystavka kartin shestnadtsati khudozhnikov: Catalogue [i.e. Art Exhibition of 16 Artists: Catalogue]. Petrograd: Pechatnyi dvor, 1922. 12 pp. 15x11 cm. Issued without wrappers. With pencil markings on the first and last pages, Soviet bookshop’s stamps on the p.12. Otherwise near fine.

No copies Extremely rare ephemera. One of 1000 copies. according to the This art show opened in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) with Worldcat. 180 works by art group called ‘Sixteen’ (16) consisted of 16 artists: Belkin, Bobrovsky, Bobyshev, Brodsky, Voinov, Il’in, Kudriavtsev, Lakhovsky, Naumov, Okolovich, Rudnev, Rylov, Savinov, Sychiov, Feshin, Shillingovsky. Interesting that mostly all of them had address printed next to their names in the catalogue. This is a great historical evidence of St. Petersburg-Petrograd art exhibitions traditionally performed not only cultural and educational function, but also were the place where the buyer got acquainted with new works and agreed on the acquisition of paintings. Acting in Petrograd, the artists’ societies were essentially exhibition associations with a more or less constant circle of exhibitors. Another strange thing about the catalogue is a lack of uniformity, almost like every artist provided whatever information he wanted to (dates, or techniques, or current owner, or name of the series). Two artists didn’t even exhibit with a note ‘‘works were not delivered for reasons beyond artist’s control’’. A very curious little catalogue as an evidence of tough and changing times (e.g., the last year of famous Peredvizniki’s group) in a new Russia after the revolution and war. Art exhibitions of Petrograd during the post-revolutionary period reflected changes in society and art, attempts of the authorities to include fine art in the system of state relations, accompanied by a struggle of opinions and the presence of polar views on the main issues of cultural policy.

ART EXHIBITIONS 38 26 [ART GOES TO FACTORIES] Katalog Peredvizhnoi vystavki: Zhivopis’, risunok, grafika, tekstil’ [i.e. Catalogue of Traveling Exhibition: Painting, Drawing, Graphics, Textile]. Moscow: Khudozhnik, 1931. 31 pp., 23 ill. 17x13 cm. In original printed wrappers. Few tears of the spine, few pages with pale damp stain. Otherwise very good.

Worldcat locates Scarce. One of 6000 copies. two copies in A very distinctive evidence of an interesting time in Soviet US libraries (Getty Research Russia’s art history - industrial art exhibition during the first five-year Institute, plan of construction. The exhibition was supposed to travel across the University of North Carolina). Soviet Union and demonstrate achievements of socialist realism and lift workers’ spirits. Overall 161 art pieces were traveling to such small and distant towns like Omsk, Groznyi, Smolensk, Tashkent, Kuzbass, Alma-Ata, Semipalatinsk, Magnitogorsk, Samarkand, etc. Monumental paintings were not part of traveling group though. Mainly paintings had distinctive subjects like manufacturing, oil and coal production, collective and state farms, social types and portraits, , et al. Some artists presented works dedicated to construction of massive objects were they were sent prior and where their works were shown during the exhibition (like Dneprostroi, Magnitostroi). Besides paintings by Grabar’, Grigoriev, Deineka, Zernova, Lentulov, Kuprin, Mavrina, Petrov- Vodkin, Favorsky, posters were exhibited by Deineka, Klutsis, Svarog etc.

27 [INDUSTRIAL ART] Na Kolomenskom zavode. Vystavka rabot brigady khudozhnikov chlenov AKhR i chlenov Kolomenskogo filiala AKhR [i.e. At the Kolomna Locomotive Plant. The Exhibition of AKhR Artists and Members of Kolomna’s Branch of AKhR]. Kolomna; Moscow: Vsekokhudozhnik, 1931. 20 pp., 15 ill. 17,5x13 cm. In original printed wrappers with minimalist design. Two small closed tears of the wrappers, tear of the lower part of the spine, light sunning of the front wrapper, otherwise very good.

Worldcat locates Very rare. One of 1500 copies. two copies (Getty The catalogue is accompanied by 15 full-page black and white and Stanford). images of the works exhibited in 1931 in Kolomna (Moscow region)

ART EXHIBITIONS 39 where one of the oldest and biggest plants in USSR was (and still is) situated. There were 143 works by 13 artists in all (some of the works were presented in Moscow): V.V. Zavyalov, B.A. Zenkevich, E.A. Katsman, V.V. Komissarov, N.A. Komarov, P.A. Kryzhanovskiy, N.A. Lebedev, I.N. Pavlov, V.N. Perelman, P.A. Radimov, A.M. Solodkov, P.I. Taezhny, H.A. Ushenin. Reproductions in the catalogue depicting workers, workshops and shipyards of the plant. The Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR, later AKhR) was an art group in 1922-1933. Diverse members of the group gained favor as the legitimate bearers of the Communist ideas into the world of art, formulating framework for the Socialist realism style. The group formed within the movement, that held their last public exhibition in 1922, and clearly placed itself in opposition to avant-garde art. Despite its revolutionary title, it successfully united artists of the ‘old school’ like Abram Arkhipov, Aleksandr Makovsky, Nikolay Kasatkin, Konstantin Yuon and the younger ones like Sergei Gerasimov and Isaak Brodsky. In introduction to the catalogue there is a definite turn to ideologically correct agenda of depicting real life, workers and ‘the struggle of the proletariat for the socialism’. The avant-garde art is mentioned as ‘a daub of different leftist types: futurists, cubists, etc.’ but only once and negatively referring to museums like Tretyakov gallery which not so long ago ‘were buying only such daub and didn’t allow any realistic works’. This catalogue is interesting for its industrial subject and because it is of the pre-1932 era which means presented at the exhibition artists belonged to an independent art group - a phenomenon which ceased to exist already next year, in 1932 (even Communist AKhR).

ART EXHIBITIONS 40 Cover. No 28 Illustration. No 28

Cover. No 29 Illustration. No 29

ART EXHIBITIONS 41 28 [FIRST PERSONAL LENTULOV’S SHOW] Vystavka kartin A.V. Lentulova, organizovannaia k 25-letiiu hudozhestvennoi deiatel’nosti. 1908-1933 [i.e. The Exhibition of A.V. Lentulov’s Paintings Organized for the 25th Anniversary of Work Activity. 1908-1933]. Moscow: [Vsekokhudozhnik], 1933. 34 pp., 1 front., 14 ill. 18x13 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Small tears of the wrappers. Otherwise a very good copy.

Worldcat locates Very rare. One of 1000 copies. two copies in The catalogue of the first personal exhibition of Aristarkh US libraries (The Frick Art Lentulov (1882-1943), famous Russian avant-garde artist. It includes list Reference Library, of all 254 works from the exhibition (in chronological order), two short Getty Research Institute). biographical notes about the artist and his work, 15 black and white reproductions not including ‘‘Cracking’’ on the front cover. Exhibition included paintings and sketches of theatre costumes and set designs. From 1912 Lentulov became a major influence on Russian and in particular cubo-Futurism. He was one of the co-founders of the famous avant-garde group ‘‘Jack of Diamonds’’, and participated in its exhibitions between 1909 and 1916. This catalogue is a testament to the Lentulov’s work during the ‘‘Jack of Diamonds’’ period. Interesting that this exhibition happened in 1933 when Soviet directive for socialist realism already was in action and the beginning of the 1930s marked the end of Russian avant-garde. His late turn to realism and Soviet industrial subjects caused his exception and praises by Soviet critics as well as work with ‘‘Jack of Diamonds’’ which some considered leftist (or at least they interpreted some of his works like that).

29 [MODERNIST LATVIAN ART] Vystavka sovremennogo latviiskogo iskusstva [i.e. Modern Latvian Art Exhibition]. Moscow: Vsekokhudozhnik, 1934. 22 pp., [15] ill. 18x13 cm. In original printed wrappers. Loss of the rear wrapper, soiling and small tears of the wrapper. Otherwise good.

No copies in Very rare. One of 1500 copies. This is a surprisingly non-political Worldcat. and non-propaganda art catalogue which was rare even in 1920s. Intro-

ART EXHIBITIONS 42 Cover. No 30 Illustration. No 30

Cover. No 31 Illustration. No 31

ART EXHIBITIONS 43 ductory text lacking usual for Soviet texts mention of ideology of building . Instead it gives a brief history of modern Latvian art scene describing how it formed and what influenced it the most, in example, Western modernist art like , Post- Impressionism and as well as Oriental art. From 1915 to 1940s Latvian art was forming as national alongside country itself. But in 1934 Socialist realism became an official term and the only true ideology, and everything else was banned. With a list of 38 artists and their 219 works some of which are presented in the catalogue (black and white reproductions).

30 [SECOND WAVE OF RUSSIAN AVANT-GARDE] Vystavka proizvedenii khudozhnika Sergeia Alekseevicha Luchishkina: Katalog [i.e. The Exhibition of Artist Sergei Alekseevich Luchishkin: Catalogue]. Moscow: Sovetsky khudozhnik, 1966. 17, [3] pp. Illustrations: [2], 10, [4] pp. 16x14 cm. In original illustrated stapled wrappers. Illustrations block is stapled separately and laid in. Slightly rubbed wrappers, inscribed on title page by the artist (1968). Otherwise very good.

Not in Worldcat. Very rare. One of 600 copies. Signed by the artist. Sergei Luchishkin (1902-1989) was a Soviet artist. He studied at VKHUTEMAS in workshops of A. Arkhipov, Liubov’ Popova, Alexandra Ekster. He became a member of art groups ‘Method’ and OST in 1924 and participated in their avant-garde exhibitions. In 1920s he took part in different radical art experiments, for example, he ran a studio called ‘‘Projection theatre’’ from 1923 till 1929 where he connected constructivist scenography with rudiments of absurd theatre. The introduction to the catalogue was written by artist himself with a very brief biography and some memories. The list consists of 141 works with a title, year, size and materials. Ten black and white reproductions show works from 1927 to 1966. The front wrapper reproduced Luchishkin’s most famous work called ‘‘Ballon flew away’’ (1926). Interesting that this painting was very early acquired by Tretiakov gallery in 1927 after author exhibited it at the 3rd OST art show which was suggested by gallery’s director Igor’

ART EXHIBITIONS 44 Cover. No 32

Autograph. No 32

ART EXHIBITIONS 45 Grabar’. In those years gallery’s fund was rarely replenished because the question of gallery’s existence still hung in the air. As a part of gallery’s collection it was shown pretty often, in example in 1929 at Children in Art show, later it travelled a lot across the world, and became known to public.

31 [STUDY OF PAINTS]

Rerberg, F.I. Khudozhnik o kraskakh [i.e. The Artist about Paints]. Moscow; Leningrad: Izogiz, 1932. 193, [3] pp., 2 ill. 22x15 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Wrappers’ extremities are rubbed and chipped, spine is slightly detached from the text block. owner’s ink stamp on the title page and first page. Otherwise very good.

No copies found First edition. Rare. One of 5000 copies. in Worldcat. A wonderful and thorough study of artistic paints: how they made, what paints for art supposed to be and how to choose them, analysis of each color, where to buy paints and how to build your own palette; also information and tips for all types of materials and techniques are given - oil, canvas, paper, cardboard, watercolour, painting on metal, tempera, fresco, painting on wax, etc. Not only its thorough but what is more interesting about this edition is that it was written by artist from his own experience. Fyodor Ivanonich Rerberg (1865-1938) was a realistic Russian artist, one of the founders and leaders of the Moscow Association of Artists. Even though he studied at the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1880s he never graduated and only earned a titul of a ‘free’ artist. Later he would say ‘‘the diploma that the architect needs to have the right to build is not at all necessary to the painter and sculptor. Meanwhile, the regime of a government school often has a very harmful effect on the personality of the student’’. Later he became a teacher himself and opened a private school where he in addition to classes in drawing and painting gave lectures on history of art. Rerberg studied paints for 40 years and gathered a lot of material on the matter, he considered this book his main work in this field. Questions of the technology of paint production, strict adherence to painting techniques for Rerberg was one of the foundations of the

ART EXHIBITIONS 46 artist’s craft. Since 1927 he worked as a consultant at Krasnyi khudozhnik paints factory. In this work he says: ‘‘Until recently, many famous artists were profaners in technology issues, and in schools the technology was not taught in the narrow sense; the students saw that the work of the professors was also quickly destroyed, as were their classroom exercises. It was a time when the unsystematic performance, negligence of the brushstroke, whole mountains of paints on canvas, mixing in one picture of completely incompatible techniques, the use of non-intended material, dirty palettes and unwashed brushes were considered a sign of the artist’s talent and inspiration’’. During the Soviet period, all these issues began to be dealt with more systematically. In the higher art educational institutions, teaching the technology of painting material and painting techniques was introduced. With two colorful tables of examples how the sun changed a color of paint for 21 different paints.

Cover. No 33 Illustration. No 33

ART EXHIBITIONS 47 V LANGUAGES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES

Due to the official state policy of LIKBEZ (the liquidation of illiteracy), everyone from 8 to 50 years old had to learn how to read and write in Russian or the national language. As a side effect of the policy some smaller nations received books in their own languages, printed for that purposes, sometimes in the new scripts and alphabets.

32 [YAKUT ] Andersen, H.C. Sehenner [i.e. Andersen’s Fairy Tales]. Yakutsk: GIZ, 1937. 56 pp.: ill. 26x20 cm. Original cardboards. Loose, some pages are detached, stains on the spine, boards are slightly rubbed. Overall a good internally clean copy.

No copies in Stamp ‘signalny ekzempliar’ on the title page suggests that this libraries. copy was a proof copy. We couldn’t find a copy of this book in any Russian or Western libraries, so it is possible that the edition was stopped after the proofs were produced. There are historical reasons for that. In 1917 Semyon Novgorodov (1892-1924), Yakut linguist and politician, created Yakut script in latin characters. He used the principles of International Phonetical Alphabet that he thought did reflect the language better. In 1926 in Baku the first all-Union Turkic Congress was held. As a result it was agreed that all Turkic languages should unify its alphabets and use Janalif, the new Turkic alphabet. As a result Yakut script was changed, but the version created was the compromise of the Novgorodov’s system and Janalif. This book is printed in that version which existed till the second half of the 1930s. After 1935 the tendency changed, and the Soviet officials saw the threat in the number of latin scripts throughout the country. By 1939 all of them were changed to completely new scripts that are used till this day.

LANGUAGES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES 48 All books printed in latin characters in Yakutia are very rare.

Cover. No 34

33 [BASHKIR LANGUAGE] Bulat. Allasyz Kuly [i.e. Godless Humor]. Ufa: Bashgiz, 1930. 93 pp. 18x12,5 cm. Original illustrated wrappers showing two laughing faces tearing up the page from Quran. Owner’s signature on the title page, minor rusting of the staples, tear of the rear wrapper, couple of spots in the texts, otherwise very good.

Very rare. One of 5000 copies printed. In Bashkir language. In pre-Revolutionary times Islam was a leading religion of the region of Bashkiria. The fight against the religion started by Soviet state targeted Bashkiria as well. It’s known that in the early 1920s 2414 mosques were active in the republic while by 1934 the number dropped to 323. The party was creating the ‘anti-religious’ clubs over the

LANGUAGES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES 49 republic, called ‘The friends of Bezhbozhnik magazine’. Usually those groups didn’t differ muslims from christians but this particular publication has targeted Islam. It contains poems and feuilletons ridiculing the clergy and the followers of the religion. The book has been printed in latin characters, this version of Bashkir script existed for only 10 years, from 1930 to 1940. Traditionally from the Middle Ages Bashkir people used Arabic graphics for their language, but by the 1920s this script was created, using Janalif (a unified in 1926 script for all Turk languages of the Union). In 1939 the decision was made to change all the scripts of Soviet languages to Cyrillic characters, and in haste a new Bashkir script was created that remains till today.

Cover. No 35

LANGUAGES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES 50 34 [KABARDINO-CIRCASSIAN LANGUAGE] Chukovsky, Korney. Doktor Aibolit [i.e. Dr. Aibolit]. Nalchik: Kabardino- balkarskoe GIZ, 1940. 110, [2] pp.: ill. 26x19 cm. Original illustrated cardboards. Bleak stains on the title page, remains of a label on the spine, tears and small losses of boards extremities. One of 3000 copies. First translation to Kabardino-Circassian language. The book originally published in 1936 became immensely popular right away. The illustrations by Elena Safonova (1902-1980) featured in the first Russian edition as well and became classic. As often the case with the North Caucasian languages Arabic characters were being used in Kabardino-Circassian script before 1917, then latin in 1924-1936 and after all-Union decision to transform everything to Cyrillic it was changed again. This is one of the early examples of the use of Cyrillic letters for Kabardino-Circassian language.

Cover. No 36

LANGUAGES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES 51 VI TYPOGRAPHY

35 [FONTS AND HOW TO DRAW THEM] Diomkin, A.D. Obraztsy shriftov i ramok dlia chertezhei i planov [i.e. Sample Fonts and Frames for Drawings and Plans]. Second edition. Moscow: Self- published, 1926. 64 pp.: ill. 15x22 cm. In original printed wrappers with decorative frame. Loss of the rear wrapper and spine, front wrapper is detached, tears of extremities of wrapper, title page and last page. Otherwise a good clean and sound copy. One of 10000 copies.

No paper copies Rare. First edition was printed by letterpress technique which in Worldcat. didn’t allow to show all possible variations of fonts. For this edition lithography was used. This edition includes introduction on calligraphy, general instructions for building lettering and frames in drawings and designs, writing in italics, calligraphic writing, typefaces. All these texts accompanied by illustrations of the correct way of sitting while writing and how to hold a pen and place a sheet of paper, types of ink pens, calligraphic elements, different fonts (supplied with footnotes on technical details). Only one last page is dedicated to motifs of frames but every page comes with a frame of different kind. Most of frames resemble style. All this diversity of shapes was gone only few years later.

36 [UNIQUE FUND OF ORIENTAL FONTS] Akademia nauk SSSR. Obraztsy vostochnykh shriftov Akademicheskoi tipografii [i.e. Academy of Sciences of USSR. Specimens of Oriental Scripts of Academy’s Press]. Leningrad: Izdatel’stvo Akademii nauk SSSR, 1928. XI, 73 pp. 20x14 cm. In original printed wrappers. Some rubbings of the wrappers, spine of the wrapper is slightly detached from the text block. Otherwise a very good copy.

TYPOGRAPHY 52 Cover. No 37

Fonts. No 37

Cover. No 38 Fonts. No 38

TYPOGRAPHY 53 Nine paper Very rare. One of 2000 copies. Title in Russian and German on copies located by Worldcat. the front wrapper, two title pages, table of contents, introduction and all captions in Russian and German. This is a small nice catalogue of almost all Oriental (eastern) fonts which press of Academy of Sciences of USSR had. Only very outdated fonts were not included as well as those of incomplete sets. Russian science has a long history of Oriental studies, and this fund was growing organically alongside these studies. Almost all pre- Revolutionary publications with usage of eastern fonts were printed by Academy’s press. There are Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian, Manchurian, Kalmyk, Buryat, ancient Turkish, Uigur, Persian cuneiform, Avestan, Middle Persian, Jewish, Palmyra, Syrian, Estrangelo, Ethiopian, Samaritan, Arab, Persian, Armenian, Georgian, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Coptic and phonetic symbols for the transcription. With the growth of country’s republics and their culture the number of such books was growing as well so this edition is not only an evidence of a titanic work and rare fund, but also a reminder of the last days when Academy’s press was a unique leader in the field of Oriental fonts in the world. The catalogue was timed with the 200th anniversary of Academy’s press and the World Press Exhibition (“Pressa”) in 1928 in Cologne (that year Soviet display was designed by El Lissitzky which became his highest achievement in this field).

37 [FONTS FOR MAPS] Goncharov, G.F. Al’bom topograficheskikh i khudozhestvennykh shriftov: Metodicheskoe posobie pri vycherchivanii topograficheskikh planov, oformlenii kart i drugikh inzhenerno-tekhnicheskikh chertezhei [i.e. Album of Topographical and Artistic Fonts: Toolkit for Delineation of Topographic Plans, Making Maps and Other Engineering and Technical Drawings]. Second edition. [N.p.]: Dinamo, 1947. [2], 16 pp., [2], 80 pl. 20x29 cm. In custom made binding with lettering on the front board (without original card boards). Small tears of the spine, inscription on the front pastedown, otherwise very good. No copies in Very rare. One of 1000 copies. Worldcat.

TYPOGRAPHY 54 Cover. No 39

Fonts. No 39

TYPOGRAPHY 55 The inscription stated ‘‘To Comrade Kandid Nestorovich Charkviani from Tbilisi Topographical Technical College. 16 April of 1947, Tbilisi’’. Kandid Charkviani (1907-1994) was a Georgian party and government official, and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Georgia from 1938 to 1952. Charkviani rose to the position of First Secretary through support of . The album was published on the 15th anniversary of the College where the author was a professor, and dedicated to different types used for maps and plans according to regulations. Interesting that among types accepted by state laws for maps and other charts here are included outdated Gothic and Old Slavonic types ‘because they may liven up plan or a map with its authentic and peculiar beauty’ (from introduction). Captions are gathered in the beginning in one text. All 80 plates carry different fonts.

38 [HOW TO MAKE A NEWSPAPER] Shwarz, L.I. Tekhnika vypuska gazety: Posobie dlia gazetnykh tekhnikumov [i.e. Newspaper Production Technology: Textbook for Newspaper Technical Colleges]. With: Furman, G. Kak sostavit’ promfinplan gazety [i.e. How to Make a Financial Plan of Newspaper]. Pp. 126-132. Moscow; Leningrad: Gizlegprom, 1932. 132, [2] pp.: ill. 22x15 cm. In original photomontage wrapper. Small parts of spine missing, general rubbing of the wrapper, private library ink stamp and pencil inscription on the title page. Otherwise very good. One of 8200 copies.

No copies in Rare. First edition. Very interesting edition with many drawings, Worldcat. photographs, schemes, examples of newspaper pages, layouts and headlines, examples of types and photo montages for newspaper, etc. Besides being a great textbook and evidence of the time (a newspaper being as one of the most vivid representation of its era) it is also an example of early 1930s book design with its plain lines and especially title page styled for layout of newspaper strip (also shown in the book). The contents of the text is not less interesting: principles of designing newspaper, fonts, mechanization of letterpress printing, photomontage, layouts, how to shorten texts, semantic breakdown of headings, corrections, how to make local newspaper, etc.

TYPOGRAPHY 56 This information is applicable for magazines as well so these are the explained techniques used for making some of the best Soviet printed press.

Cover. No 40 Title page. No 40

Illustration. No 40

TYPOGRAPHY 57