4 X 10 EASTERN AVANT-GARDE ORBIT DIGITAL DELIGHTS | LIST NO. 2, DECEMBER 2016 Dear clients, colleagues and friends, I am hereby glad to present my new short list »Digital Delights«, edition no. 2. The following 52 pages contain four chapters with 40 new arrivals as well as carefully selected items from my stock related to the Eastern European Avant-Garde orbit. 10 illustrated books, magazines and/or ephemera each created by major proponents of Latvian, Bulgarian, Czech and Yugoslavian avant-garde movements from the 1920s and 1930s are waiting to be discovered by you. Starting with the astonishingly rich activities of the »Riga activists« in Latvia the presented orbit crosses Europe from the Northeastern to the Southeastern hemisphere to pass Bulgaria and it's short lifted but nevertheless fervent modernist scene around Geo Milev (Please also consider my monography »Bulgarian Modernism. Books and Magazines 1919-1934« still available in my webshop). Heading north again the Czech movement and it's specifically versatile design culture are to be browsed, whereas the last point of this journey finally is to be found in the Balkans: Nadrealizam is the keyword here. So, please enjoy browsing, watching and reading, and of course I am very much looking forward to your feedback and orders. Yours, 4 X 10 EASTERN AVANT-GARDE ORBIT DIGITAL DELIGHTS | LIST NO. 2, DECEMBER 2016 1 X 10 BALTIC 1 DOMAS [Thought]. Daiļliterātūras, mākslas un zinātnes mēnešraksts [Monthly review for literature, arts and science]. 8th year, no. 1 (1931). Lino-cut cover design, vignettes and typography by Niklavs STRUNKE. Rīga: Literātu biedriba Domas (Pipiṇ a un Upmaṇ a) 1931. 24,5:17 cm, [1 Bl., frontispiece], 1-86, [1], [9, advertisements] pp. Original sewn publisher's wrappers with black and brown lino-cut cover illustration and title on grey stock. 1 Issue no. 1 of 12 of this 8th year of »Domas«, a particularly important Latvian modernist magazine, containing contributions by mostly left-wing artists, writers, scientists and politicians. »Domas« was published between 1924 and 1934 in 10 issues each year (year 8 (1931) in 12 issues; year 11 (1934) in 4). – This issue contains a frontispiece on glossy paper after a painting by Jānis Liepiņš, one caricature by Sigismunds Vidbergs and two lino-cuts by Ernests Akolovs and Adja Junkerss (or Adja Yunkers), who after 1945 became an important abstract painter in the US and had also contributed already illustrations to the avant-garde magazine »Signals« (1928-30). Akolovs and Junkerss had also contributed already illustrations to the avant-garde magazine »Signals« (1928-30). Akolovs and Junkerss were all students at the art class of the Riga adult education center (RTA), a centre for progressive artists of those days lead by Vidbergs and Romans Suta. - Furthermore this issue has among others text contributions by Latvian avant-garde poet Kārlis Dziļleja, who also signed as editor in chief. Bottom of spine with one very small tear, lower part of front cover slightly creased, binding in parts loose, paper slightly time-stained, otherwise well preserved copy of this rare item, like all other issues of this year with two-coloured constructivist covers by Niklavs Strunke, who also contributed progressive typography and vignettes. „For a brief period at the end of its publication (1931/1932), »Domas« covers were typographically bold with late-constructivist imagery in flat color, exhibiting a diffuse tie to contemporary European vanguard design movements.“ (Fraser) Apart from one copy at the Latvian National Library only two copies of this issue at Stabi Berlin and Herder-Institut Lahn are known according to OCLC and KVK. Furthermore only BSB, IISG, NYPL and the Herder-Institut Lahn have copies of other issues of this magazine. Fraser: Publishing and Book Design in Latvia 1919-1940, 2014, p. 136, L305 and p. 235 € 340 2 DOMAS [Thought]. Daiļliterātūras, mākslas un zinātnes mēnešraksts [Monthly review for literature, arts and science]. 8th year, no. 4 (1931). Lino-cut cover design, vignettes and typography by Niklavs STRUNKE. Rīga: Literātu biedriba Domas (Pipiṇ a un Upmaṇ a) 1931. 24,5:17 cm, [1 Bl., frontispiece], 257-335, [1,], [4, advertisements] pp. Original sewn publisher's wrappers with red and brown lino-cut cover illustration and title on cream stock. Issue no. 4 of 12 of this 8th year of »Domas«. – This issue contains a frontispiece on glossy paper after a painting by V. Piesis, one wood-cut by Kārlis Bušs and two lino-cuts by Junkerss. Piesis, Bušs and Junkerss were all students at the RTA. - Furthermore this issue contains among others texts by Latvian avant-garde poet Kārlis Dziļleja, who also signed as editor in chief. Bottom of spine with one small fault, cover with two little ink stains, paper slightly time-stained, otherwise fine copy of this rare item, like all other issues of this year with two-coloured constructivist covers by Niklavs Strunke, who also contributed progressive typography and vignettes. Apart from one copy at the Latvian National Library only two copies of this issue at Stabi Berlin and Herder-Institut Lahn are known according to OCLC and KVK. Furthermore only BSB, IISG, NYPL and the Herder-Institut Lahn have copies of other issues of this magazine. Fraser: Publishing and Book Design in Latvia 1919-1940, 2014, p. 136, see L305 (issue no. 1 (1931) and p. 235. € 340 3 DOMAS [Thought]. Daiļliterātūras, mākslas un zinātnes mēnešraksts [Monthly review for literature, arts and science]. 8th year, no. 5 (1931). Lino-cut cover design, vignettes and typography by Niklavs STRUNKE. Rīga: Literātu biedriba Domas 1931. 24,5:17 cm, [1 Bl., frontispiece], 337-415, [1] pp. Original sewn publisher's wrappers with grey and bright blue lino-cut cover illustration and title on grey stock. Issue no. 5 of 12 of this 8th year of »Domas«. – This issue contains a frontispiece on glossy paper after a constructivist painting by Voldemar Siliņš and two lino-cuts by Junkerss. Siliņš also was among the students at the RTA. - Furthermore this issue has among others text contributions by Latvian avant-garde poet Kārlis Dziļleja, who also signed as editor in chief. Top and bottom of spine with small tears, paper slightly time-stained, otherwise well preserved copy of this rare item, like all other issues of this year with two-coloured constructivist covers by Niklavs Strunke, who also contributed progressive typography and vignettes. Apart from one copy at the Latvian National Library only two copies of this issue at Stabi Berlin and Herder-Institut Lahn are known according to OCLC and KVK. Furthermore only BSB, IISG, NYPL and the Herder-Institut Lahn have copies of other issues of this magazine. Fraser: Publishing and Book Design in Latvia 1919-1940, 2014, p. 136 (see L305) and p. 235. € 340 4 DOMAS [Thought]. Daiļliterātūras, mākslas un zinātnes mēnešraksts [Monthly review for literature, arts and science]. 9th year, no. 5 (1932). Lino-cut cover design by Kārlis BUŠS. Ed. by Roberts Hermanis-Sēlis. Rīga: Literātu biedriba Domas (Riti) 1932. 24,5:17 cm, [1], 322-384, [16, table of contents for issues no. 1-5 (1932), advertisements] pp. Original sewn publisher's wrappers with red and black lino-cut cover illustration and title on white stock. Issue no. 5 of 10 of this 9th year of »Domas«. - This issue contains four remarkable lino-cuts by Junkerss. Furthermore this issue contains among others texts by Latvian avant-garde poets Aleksandrs Čaks und Kārlis Dziļleja. Spine with one small foxy spot, last part with small water-stains in the lower right corner, paper slightly time-stained, otherwise fine copy of this rare item. Like for all other issues of this year Kārlis Bušs created a two-coloured constructivist cover design. Apart from one copy in the Latvian National Library only one copy of this issue at Stabi Berlin is known according to OCLC and KVK. Furthermore only BSB, IISG, NYPL and the Herder-Institut Lahn have copies of this magazine. Fraser: Publishing and Book Design in Latvia 1919-1940, 2014, p. 136, see L306 (issue no. 3 (1932) € 280 5 KURCIJS, Andrejs: Dvēseles Karabejs. Dzejas [Cabaret Soul. Poems]. Lino-cut cover design by Niklavs STRUNKE (unattributed). Rīga: »Kulturas Bals« Izdevums [»Voice of Culture« Editiors] (Deenas) 1921. 12,3:18 cm, 47 [3] p. Original publisher's stapled brochure with cover illustration and title in black on cream stock. First Edition of this collection of poems by Andrejs Kurcijs (i.e. Andrejs Kursiskis), experimental poet and prose writer, literary and art critic and leftist politician. Kurjics was a key member of the »Rīga Activist«, the most remarkable Latvian avant-garde movement of the 1920ies. The striking cover design, strong in composition and expressionist manner of typography and illustrative elements, was created by Niklavs Strunke, also member of the Rīga group. Strunke probably was the most productive and influential of all Latvian avant-garde artists, mainly preoccupied with expressionism and later constructivism. Although the designer of this cover is not attributed in the colophon, the style is typical for Strunke, who created a number of similar works for »Kulturas Balss« and other editors during those years. Rear side of rear cover with two bookseller's stamps, title page with former owner’s remark, paper slightly time-stained, generally a fine copy of this very rare item indee. OCLC locates only one copy worldwide in Columbia University, Latvian National Library in Rigā a 2nd one. Bernett, Latvian Avant-Garde, pos. 10; unknown to Fraser, but see pos. L322 for a similar example of Strunkes stye. € 540 6 ŠVĀBE, Arveds: Gong-Gong. Tankas. Cover design and 15 full-paged illustrations based on ink drawings by Sigismunds VIDBERGS. Rīga: Vaiņags 1922.