www.bookvica.com SPRING CATALOGUE 2018: Early Soviet Culture. A Selection of Books 1 F O R E W O R D Dear friends and collegues, Bookvica team is happy to present to you the spring catalogue of 2018! Our focus is once again on the life of the USSR in 1920s-1930s when new ideas have found its embodiment in the life of the Soviet man. Most of the books we have gathered for this catalogue are not one the classic checklist of early Soviet books. No works by Mayakovsky or Lissitzky are present and some of them are practically unknown and barely recorded. However this collection is not accidental but the one with a purpose. With some exceptions we tried to look into the lesser researched sides of the life of new Soviet man and the propaganda that was creating her/him. What toys were they playing growing up and what notebooks used to write their lessons in? What shoes did they wear and what parks they attended back in the days? What did they do in a free time? How the factory libraries looked like and what could be written in the factory newspapers? The answers could be found in the books featured in our catalogue this time. As usual we tried to include books that would have the harmonious balance of rarity, interesting content and the design. That’s why you should expect to find the constructivist wrapper on the catalogue of the library equipment or photomontage cover of the second grade notebook. Apart from the experimental sections we did include our standard selection on architecture, art theory (this time focusing on color theory) and science books as well as handmade children’s books on their life in pioneer summer camps. Bookvica team: Pavel Chepyzhov Julie Kulyamzina Valentina Gavrilova 2 I ART PROPAGANDA FOR THE MASSES 01 [PROLETKULT ON WAYS OF PROPAGANDA] Al’manakh proletkul’ta [i.e. Proletkult Almanac]. Moscow: Vserossiiskii proletkult, 1925. 192 pp.; ill. 25x15 cm. In later red cloth with lettering. Without original wrappers, small ink stain on the side edges, otherwise very good. Worldcat locates First and only edition. One of 3000 copies. Very rare. One of this a copy in Library kind of collection. of Congress. Proletkult, short for Proletarian Cultural and Educational Organization, was a mass cultural, educational, literary and artistic organization of proletarian self-activity under the People’s Commissariat of Education, which existed from 1917 to 1932. Proletcult was proclaiming the marxist understanding of the class nature of art, and its goal was to produce, present and nurture proletarian art and culture. The organization was seen as leftist and criticized even by Lenin. But nevertheless it was an organization which was educating workers and supporting poets and writers. This is a collection of essays on questions of proletarian culture and its ideology, day to day life, art and production of a newly formed country. There is a lot of discourse on ‘byt’ (day to day life), the word ‘bytologia’ even is mentioned, ethics, reflection on a role of culture in day to day life, propaganda and building a new communist man take place. The almanac could be regarded as one of the important theoretic collections on leftist art, as the key LEF ideologists have contributed to this publication alongside with pioneers of new cinema. Nikolay Chuzhak, Viktor Pertsov, Boris Arvatov, Alexei Gan, Nikolay Tarabukin, Dziga Vertov and Sergei Tretiakov are all involved among others. Constructivists widely propagandized the technique of photomontage in many articles and books which caused amateur authors actively use it, and this almanac is not an exception. Ideologist ART PROPAGANDA FOR THE MASSES 3 of Proletkult Nikolay Tarabukin (1889-1956) wrote a big article on photomontage techniques, how to use it (article is accompanied by two photomontages of poster and advertisement). Aleksei Gan (1887- 1942) in his short essay sums up his thought on constructivism and photomontage in printing concluding with statement that with a help of book ‘Constructivism’, magazine ‘Kino-Fot’, Goskino posters they tried to remind everyone of polygraphic materials and possibilities and push proletariat to be initiative and produce. Sergey Tretiakov (1892-1937) wrote reviews on American films ‘Star Dust’ and ‘The Birth of a Nation’ but not only crushing them but also praising skillful agitation (‘‘If we don’t have such masters, buy them in America, it would be cheaper than overpaying for never ending self-teaching’’). Dziga Vertov (1896-1954), film pioneer, wrote an article on types of film advertising - impromptu, comical, detective, drama, chronicle, trick, etc. and where and how to place them and most important - what to advertise (‘‘from lottery tickets to ointment for hair growth and back - from tooth powder ‘Sanagri’ to mining industry of Donbass’’). For every type and placement Vertov gives his example. Viktor Pertsov’s article on ways of verbal and graphic propaganda (space and text of the article used in constructivist way to visualize theories) suggests that they should use more visual means of communicating with Soviet people as they are all new men of a new country. Almanac also gathered materials about proletkult news in regions and critical reviews (e.g. on works by Sologub, Akhmatova, Zamyatin, Gorky, etc.). The great combination of important leftist theory applied to the art needs of the masses, clearly unreasonably forgotten book. $1,900 02 [HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SPEECH FOR CLUB THEATRE] Prianishnikov, A.V. Rechevoi trenazh v klube: Osnovy proiznositel’noi tekhniki [i.e. Speech Training at a Club: Basics of Pronouncing Technics]. Moscow: Teakinopechat, 1930. 120, [2] pp.: ill. 23x16 cm. In original Worldcat locates constructivist wrappers. Very good. Signed by the author on the t.p. (‘To an only copy in Berlin State Kolya Travin, an old friend, master of a sharp word on stage. Author. 20/ Library. VIII-1930’). Some rubbings, numbers on the front cover and t.p. (ink), ART PROPAGANDA FOR THE MASSES 4 Title page. No 01 Illustrations. No 01 Cover. No 02 Illustration. No 02 ART PROPAGANDA FOR THE MASSES 5 occasional markings (pencil), tiny tears of t.p. First and only edition. One of 3000 copies. Very rare. The phenomenon of the workers’ clubs is one of the most interesting ones in the history of early Soviet culture. Stated by Trotsky that the clubs were ‘the forge of the proletarian class culture’, they were the connection between the art and the masses, the link between left aesthetics and proletarian self-conscience. Workers’ clubs started to appear in 1920 and by the mid-1920s covered the country and were set to be multi-functional tool to educate, agitate, entertain and cultivate the masses. The result should have been the creation of a new man, a new life, so the workers’ club were very much in tune with the Soviet ideology of 1920s. They were organised locally, usually by the unions or other initiative groups, and they were given a lot of privileges: good buildings (often designed by the best constructivist architects of the day), supplies, support in the media and by the party officials. The unusual cultural-social experiment of making a new man came to its end in the early 1930s, when Proletkult was closed and the life of the country has started to change. The clubs itself remained but lost its independence, started to be used more for propaganda purposes or the routine entertainment events. This manual for improving public speaking skills for club sections was initiated by the State Drama Professional Club Workshop which was a theatrical organization from 1927 till 1930 formed specifically to provide assistance to workers’ clubs, particularly their drama sections. It was supposed to help them master a contemporary theatre culture and search for the most effective ways to create a club production or other activity of such kind. Besides lectures it provided written instructions (but this is the only edition initiated by the organization). The Workshop was an extraordinary and experimental establishment lead by Nikolay Volkonsky (1890-1948) whom Narkompros (Ministry of Education) asked to help further development of the amateur theatre. The highlight of their work was staging of Ostrovsky’s play ‘Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man’ which was praised by students and contemporaries and influenced in many ways performances and productions in workers’ clubs. Volkonsky was also involved in creating this edition as it stated in the end of the book. The edition includes theory about breathing, voice, its nature and possible problems, and a large amount of special exercises to elimi- ART PROPAGANDA FOR THE MASSES 6 nate defects and improve speaking, make it clear, rules of pronouncing words (orthoepy) with a list of correct accentuations. In the end the schedule of exercising for ten weeks is given. The routine training include one variation of breathing exercise, exercises with vowel or consonant sounds, gymnastics of lips, tongue twisters, etc. The edition also includes advises on hygiene and general notes: to breath in air through nose, after the performance not to talk for 10 minutes, not to go from warmth to the cold after the performance, drink warm tea or water, tobacco and vodka are bad for the voice (especially women’s vocal cords), put a can with water next to a heater in order to keep the room’s air humidified, etc. A rare example of experimental work which occured in 1920s in Soviet Union. $1,200 03 [SOVIET TRADE UNIONS] Gankin, M., Iliashchenko, P. Zaochnaia tribuna [i.e. Extramural Tribune]. Moscow: Partizdat, 1932. 44, [2] pp.: ill. 20x14 cm. In original photomontage wrappers. Very good with very light wear of the spine. No copies at the First and only edition.