Mayakovsky V V (25 results)
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Language: English
Published by Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1970
- Hardcover
Seller: Gene The Book Peddler, Winchester, NH, U.S.A.Gene The Book Peddler
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 15.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition/Second Printing. first edition/second printing book is tight with no markings, some soiling to page edges, date stamp on first page, boards have some rubbing and soiling, dj has some rubbing and soiling with curling/creasing along the edges.
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Vladimir Vladimirovic Majakovski, 19. VII 1893-14. IV 1930 (Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb, 2. VIII-16. IX 1973) [Mayakovsky]
Vladimir Majakovski / V.V. Akopdzanova / T.N. Konopackaja [Mayakovsky]
Published by Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti / Grada Zagreba, Zagreb, 1973
- Softcover
Seller: Raritan River Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.Raritan River Books
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Add to basketPaperback. Condition: Very Good. Paperback. Binding sound, text clean, light shelfwear. 28-page illustrated exhibition catalog. Edition of 500 copies. Book.
Published by Ogiz, Gosudarstvennoe izdatel?stvo khudozhestvennoi literatury, Moskva, 1943
- Softcover
Seller: BIBLIOPE by Calvello Books, Oakland, CA, U.S.A.BIBLIOPE by Calvello Books
Contact seller4-star sellerPaperback. Condition: Very Good(-). Early edition. Smal octavo in orig. printed wraps; 147, [1] p. 17 x 13 cm. In Russian. Scarce early selction of Mayakovsy's poetry. In custom white DJ. Series: Pisateli-patrioty velikoi rodiny. // Poetry. Russian Futurism. Front wrapper partly detached; spine partly chipped, brittle and browne…d from original bindery glue; else overal Very Good(-).
Published by Detskaya Literatura, Moscow, Russia, 1972
- Hardcover
Seller: Xochi's Bookstore & Gallery, truth or consequences, NM, U.S.A.Xochi's Bookstore & Gallery
Contact seller2-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 20.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 221pp.; HB orange w/blk.&white; some rub w/wear on edges; clean,tight pgs. Title trans.: "Poetry" in Russian.
Published by Moscow Worker, Moscow, USSR, 1952
- Hardcover
Seller: Xochi's Bookstore & Gallery, truth or consequences, NM, U.S.A.Xochi's Bookstore & Gallery
Contact seller2-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 20.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Very Good -. No Jacket. 280pp.; HB red w/white; rubbred w/wear on edges&corners; spine scuffed; PONft.endpaper; bk.hinge cracked; some tanning w/clean,tight pgs. Title Trans: "Selected Works" in Russian.
Published by Davis poynter, 1960
- Softcover
Seller: Anybook.com, Lincoln, United KingdomAnybook.com
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Poor
US$ 10.83
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Add to basketCondition: Poor. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. Book Contains Pen Markings In poor condition, suitable as a reading copy. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,200grams, ISBN.
Published by Progress Publishers, 1971
- Hardcover
Seller: Sperry Books, Rollinsford, NH, U.S.A.Sperry Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 33.99
Free ShippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 10 available
Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Very Good. Moscow: Progress Publishers [c.1967] 1970 second printing hardcover parallel text Russian w/ corresponding English on opposite page, fine white cloth w/ image of Lenin, fine dust jacket, tight binding, inked name front free endpaper, clean text Prompt, reliable service, shipped next business day.… Int'l mailed via first class or priority.
Published by Poetry and Poverty, London, 1950
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 30.00
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Add to basketSoftcover. Condition: Very Good. First edition. 40pp. Printed wrappers. Two label remnants inside front cover, book with a faint tideline along spine, covers lightly soiled, about very good. Contributions by V.V. Mayakovsky, John Heath-Stubbs, Hugo Manning, D.J. Enright, Jon Silkin, Phyllis Webb, Peter Viereck, George Woodcock a…nd more.
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Language: Spanish
Published by CDMX: Ediciones ERA. Printed in Mexico., 1970
- Hardcover
- First Edition
Seller: James Payne, Books and Prints, New York City, NY, U.S.A.James Payne, Books and Prints
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Fair
US$ 50.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Fair. First Edition, 1 of 4000 Copies. [COMMUNISM]. Ed. Adolfo Sanchez Vazquez. Contributors: Bertolt Brecht, Vladimir Mayakovsky, V. I. Lenin, Georg Lukacs, Leon Trotsky, Fidel Castro, et al. "Estetica y Marxismo Tomos I y II [Spanish]." CDMX: Ediciones ERA. Printed in Mexico, 1970. First Spanish edition.…1 of 4,000 copies. Spanish language. Both volumes I and II. Hardcovers with black pebbled boards with gilt-titling. Edited collection of articles on the interrelationship of Marxism, aesthetics, and culture, in four main sections in the second volume: Realismo y Arte Moderno, Arte y Capitalismo, Arte y Socialismo, and Arte y Politica. With index, contributor biographies, and introduction. 8vo. 7 3/4 x 6 inches. 24 oz. Volume I is 420 pp., Volume II is 528 pp. Jacket present only in remnants. Spine starting at top and bottom of second volume and missing on first volume. Binding on first volume somewhat loose. Rubbing on boards. Toned. Text clean, intact. Fair. No ISBN. OCLC: 40810823. "This anthology includes texts that extend the debate on aesthetic problems in close and logical relation with the fundamental ideas of Marx and Engels, and texts derived from an aesthetic approach that has roots in such ideas.".
Published by Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1967. [, 1967
- Hardcover
Seller: Reiner Books, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.Reiner Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Near fine
US$ 45.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. ] Hardback, 12mo, appx 4 1/2 x 7 inches, 214 pages, Near Fine in VG- dj (dj now in protective mylar). Book itself essentially flawless, no names, no writing. DJ clean, only a few tiny edge splits and one short tear. Written 1924, this edition published on the 50t…h Anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Laid in is a bookmark commemorating this 50th anniversary as well as a sheet giving some background information on the poet and the poem, and commentary on the poet's public readings of the poem. Text printed in red in Russian on the left-hand pages, in black in English on the right-hand pages. RWR5 Russian Literature Poetry Communism Russia USSR Soviet Union Foreign Language.
- Hardcover
Seller: Antiquariat Andree Schulte, Grafschaft-Ringen, GermanyAntiquariat Andree Schulte
Contact seller5-star sellerAssociation member: GIAQ
Condition: Used
US$ 23.66
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Large 8vo. Hardcover, fine. XX / 209 pp. -TEXT IN ENGLISH- Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 600.
Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1961
- Hardcover
Seller: Anybook.com, Lincoln, United KingdomAnybook.com
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Good
US$ 34.52
US$ 18.35 shippingShips from United Kingdom to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketCondition: Good. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. No dust jacket. Library sticker on front cover. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,450grams, ISBN.
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Language: English
Published by Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2003
- Hardcover
Seller: SKULIMA Wiss. Versandbuchhandlung, Westhofen, GermanySKULIMA Wiss. Versandbuchhandlung
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - As new
US$ 35.61
US$ 46.17 shippingShips from Germany to U.S.A.Quantity: Over 20 available
Condition: Wie Neu. Zustandsbeschreibung: Mängelexemplar/near mint. Feminism's Flirtation with Patriarchy. In this volume, the author continues the exploration of her Hestian/Hermean Dual Systems Paradigm. Drawing on two ancient Greek mythemes - Hestia, guardian of the «homeplace» and Hermes, guardian of the «marketplace» - she…introduces a metaphorical language with which to examine the private/public, civic/domestic, familial/political aspects of the human condition to reclaim the family ecosystem as a site for feminist theory. She challenges «one size fits all» theories based on patriarchal paradigms (the «bed of Procrustes») and suggests how a Hestian feminist perspective can be applied to the academic disciplines of classics, philosophy, history, political science, sociology, psychology, economics, and ethics. XXI,290 Seiten, gebunden (The Hestia Trilogy; Book 2/Peter Lang Verlag 2003). Statt EUR 75,95. Gewicht: 559 g - Gebunden/Gebundene Ausgabe.
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Language: English
Published by Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 2003
- Hardcover
Seller: SKULIMA Wiss. Versandbuchhandlung, Westhofen, GermanySKULIMA Wiss. Versandbuchhandlung
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - As new
US$ 40.37
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Condition: Wie Neu. Zustandsbeschreibung: Mängelexemplar/near mint. The Parallogics of Everyday Life. Adopting the analytic lenses of the Hestian/Hermean Dual Systems Paradigm, this volume critiques paradigms that are baised in favor of the political at the expense of the familial. Thompson challenges conventional «ways of seein…g» the private/public and expands the metaphor of the double helix of everyday life to include the parallogics of the dual domains of human action. She invites the reader to compare and contrast homeplace/marketplace activities from a dual systems - instead of a gender - perspective. She suggests that the domestic/civic aspects of everyday life be recognized as co-responsible options and offers a case study of the demise of a Hestian home economics department in the Hermean environment of higher education to illustrate her points. The book concludes with a Hestian feminist plea for domestic literacy based on a reappraisal of «hearth and home» in antiquity and modernity. Thompson suggests that a gender-equitable approach to the private/public demands of everyday life is an essential first step to achieving a «new humanism». XXIII,264 Seiten, gebunden (The Hestia Trilogy; Book 3/Peter Lang Verlag 2003). Statt EUR 73,95. Gewicht: 552 g - Gebunden/Gebundene Ausgabe.
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Language: Russian
Published by Ogiz - Gosudarstvennoye izdatel'stvo khudozhestvennoy literatury, Moskva, 1948
- Hardcover
Seller: Eastleach Books, Newbury, BER, United KingdomEastleach Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Good
US$ 41.69
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Add to basketCondition: Good. 1st thus. Cloth, G+. 431pp, b/w frontis, cloth a litle marke & grubby, pages tanned. Biblioteka Izbrannuikh Proizvedeny Sovetskoi Literaturui series. The poetical works of Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky [ 1893 - 1930 ] the Russian poet, playwright and artist, who was a prominent figure of the Russian Futurist… movement. Often at odds with the Soviet State, in 1930, Mayakovsky committed suicide. 425 grams.
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Published by Raduga Publishers., 1986
- Hardcover
Seller: Book Grocer, Tullamarine, VIC, AustraliaBook Grocer
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used
US$ 36.28
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Hardback. V. Mayakovsky, Raduga Publishers. Author: V. MayakovskyBinding: HardbackPublished: Raduga Publishers., 1986Condition:Book: FairJacket: Wear and tearPages: Tanning and foxingMarkings: No markingsCondition remarks: Tanning and foxing to pages, yellowed DJ with tears. This collection presents two significant poetic works…from a titan of the Russian avant-garde. V. Mayakovsky's powerful verse chronicles the tumultuous early 20th century, capturing the revolutionary spirit and personal struggles of an era. The poems illustrate his innovative use of language and form, challenging traditional poetic structures with a bold, declarative voice. Readers will discover a passionate engagement with themes of love, society, and the artist's role within a changing world. This volume offers a compelling insight into the mind of a poet who reshaped the landscape of modern literature. Hardback.
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Published by Progress Publications, 1970
- Hardcover
Seller: Book Grocer, Tullamarine, VIC, AustraliaBook Grocer
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used
US$ 36.28
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Add to basketHardback. V. Mayakovsky, Progress Publications. Author: V. MayakovskyBinding: HardbackPublished: Progress Publications, 1970Condition:Book: GoodJacket: Worn/faded, no tearsPages: GoodMarkings: No markingsCondition remarks: Light wear and fading to DJ. Light denting and discolouration to white board. Pages in good condition.This…epic poem chronicles the life and revolutionary spirit of a pivotal historical figure, presented through the innovative lens of a master poet. Its powerful verse captures the essence of the early Soviet era, illustrating the fervor and ideological conviction that shaped a nation. The work argues for the enduring legacy of its subject, portraying him not merely as a leader but as a symbol of radical transformation. Readers will discover a profound literary monument, reflecting the artistic and political currents of a tumultuous period. Its bold language and rhythmic intensity offer a unique perspective on a foundational moment in 20th-century history. Hardback.
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Published by Detskaya literatura, 48, 1976
- Softcover
Seller: Moraine Books, Ruovesi, FinlandMoraine Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 25.00
US$ 40.99 shippingShips from Finland to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketSoft Cover. Condition: Very Good. Text in Russian. 13 pp. Slight yellowing and wear to the covers.
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Published by Moscow, 1998
- Hardcover
Seller: BiblioEra, Everett, MA, U.S.A.BiblioEra
Contact seller2-star sellerCondition: Used - Good
US$ 199.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Good. In Russian. Short description: Mayakovsky, V., Selected Lyrics [ Izbrannaya lirika ] Moscow: Ripod Classic, 1998. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKU SK001384.
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Published by Praha: Vaclava Petra/Edice Atom, 1925
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Undercover Books, Norwich, United KingdomUndercover Books
Contact seller5-star sellerAssociation member: PBFA
Condition: Used - Very good
US$ 382.13
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Add to basketSoft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 21.5 x 13.5 cm. 113 pp. (3) Paper cover has minor edge wear. Book is entirely clean throughout with A1 binding. First Czech edition of Maykovsky's epic poem and illustrated by V. Masek. A modernist graphic design piece as vehicle for a flagship socialist poem.
Language: Russian
- Hardcover
Seller: Oriental Research Partners, Newtonville, MA, U.S.A.Oriental Research Partners
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - As new
US$ 94.08
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: As New. M. 1965/, Includes dopol. Toma: Avtobriografiia; Bibliografiia. Notes by L. Brik (Maiakovsky's companion) and N. Plisko, V. Trenin and N. Khardzhiev. Still the best collected works publication esdpecially his pre-1917 poetry and articles.
- Softcover
Seller: Ursus Rare Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.Ursus Rare Books
Contact seller4-star sellerLAVINSKY, Anton and V.V. MAYAKOVSKY. 13 Let raboty [Thirteen Years of Work]. 2 volumes. 304; 464 pp. Small 8vo, 184 x 115 mm., publisher's two-color Constructivist wrappers designed by A. Lavinsky, preserved in a new linen cloth folding box with a red label. n.p.: Vhutemas, 1921. A handsome copy of this Mayakovsky work with stri…king covers. OCLC Lists Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, Art Gallery of Ontario, Waseda and Leeds.
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[AVANT-GARDE - CONSTRUCTIVISM] MIuD [i.e. Mezhdunarodnyi iunosheskii den'; International Youth Day]
Mayakovsky (Maiakovskii), Vladimir and V[era Ivanovna] Ivanova, artist
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Penka Rare Books and Archives, ILAB, Berlin, GermanyPenka Rare Books and Archives, ILAB
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used
US$ 1,783.47
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Add to basketMoscow: OGIZ-Molodaia gvardiia, 1931. Octavo (17 × 12.5 cm). Original illustrated staple-stitched wrappers; 14, [2] pp. Illustrations throughout. Light soil to wrappers, else very good. Second freestanding edition of this Vladimir Mayakovsky poem written for the International Youth Day in 1926, with the first edition published p…osthumously in 1930, illustrated by the Constructivist graphic artist Vera Ivanova (1896-1948). The simplified illustration style in this volume appears to be Ivanova's tribute to Mayakovsky's laconic designs for the ROSTA (Russian State Telegraph Agency) windows. The satirized silhouettes of clergy, police, and the bourgeoisie in Ivanova's illustrations are typical of the satirical posters of the Russian Civil War period (1918-1922) which Mayakovsky produced for ROSTA starting in 1919. The graphic artist Vera Ivanova studied at the Stroganov Art Academy prior to the Revolution, completing her studies at VKhUTEMAS in 1920. She would go on to design numerous children's books, often in the Constructivist style, including illustrations for Lev Zilov's "Shokolad" (Chocolate; 1928), Agniia Barto's "Devochka chumazaiia" (Grimy girl; 1931), and a collaboration with fellow avant-garde artist David Shterenberg on a collection of poems by Vedenskii, Kharms, and Mayakovsky titled "Pesnia molniia" (Lightning bolt song; 1930). International Day of Youth was a Soviet holiday celebrated annually on September 1st. The holiday was part of a Socialist pacifist project, established during WWI in Bern, and first celebrated in 1915 in Switzerland, Netherlands, US, Italy and a number of other nations, with the first celebration in Soviet Russia in 1917. The Komsomol (Communist Socialist Youth) organization, founded in 1918, presided over the holiday in the Soviet Union until its final celebration in 1945. No. 367 of the Lur'e collection (Kniga dlia detei 1881-1939, Moscow: ULEI, 2009). As of March 2025, KVK, OCLC show two copies of the second edition in North America. The first edition is held by six institutions.
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Published by ??????? ?????? ??????????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????? ???????????Izdanie (Izdanie Otdela izobrazitel?nykh iskusstv Komissariata narodnogo prosveshchenii?), Petrograd, 1918
- First Edition
Seller: White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, ABAA/ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, ABAA/ILAB
Contact seller3-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 3,000.00
US$ 7.00 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketCondition: Very Good. First Edition. A Constructivist version of a "Trades of ____" plate book, Soviet-style, with the Soviets' Manichean outlook on Society -- the division of people into good guys and bad -- at its heart, and part of the propagandist element of this suite. Folio, 34.5 by 25.5 cm. 19 loose plates of various prof…essions and types. Following the text leaf, which was written by Mayakovsky, come 18 plates with illustrations by four different artists, in a style akin, in our view, to the Expressionist caricaturing by George Grosz. As to Mayakovsky, he had been a leading Futurist in Russian letters and art, for he was a creative figure who wore many hats -- poet, graphic artist, actor. Unlike his counterparts say in Italy, whose Futurist adherents generally embraced Facism, Mayakovsky was drawn to Communism and joined the Bolsheviks early on. His enthusiasm for the Revolution is manifestly demonstrated by this suite. In time his view about the Soviet system and leadership became more ambivalent and complicated, as reflected in his works scorned by the Soviet officialdom. But following his suicide in 1930, Stalin took to championing Mayakovsky. Leaves, of a thin, acidic pulp paper, are heavily age toned and brittle, as the norm for Russian publications in the Revolutionary period. Some edge chips, but given the paper, this is minor, with none affecting the illustration, or even coming close. The outer portfolio has a light layer of soiling virtually everywhere. This, with effort, can be further mitigated with an eraser, but not eradicated completely, based on our testing. Also, there is around most of its edges, including the flaps within, a lighter sliver with an irregular, or jagged, edge to it, which we haven't figured out its origins. It doesn't look like a repair, given its uneven borderline, and while it in places looks almost like a sloppily applied coat of paint, we don't think it is that. We tend to think it is something about how the portfolio was first constructed, but we haven't handled other copies of this suite to know what their portfolios are like. Despite the shortcomings, we perceive this copy as Very Good based on a comparison of other early Soviet publications, almost all of which have aged poorly because of the cheap paper they used. Portfolio. Three flaps to hold contents within. Portfolio, including flaps, made of a heavy card stock. K. L. Boguslavskaia, V. Kozlinski, S.Makletsov and Puni. (illustrator).
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INTOURIST: A Collection of Material Relating to Moscow Theatrical Performances 1930's -1960's; with the majority of the material aimed at Western Visitors to the USSR, produced & supplied by Intourist
[SOVIET UNION] [PERFORMING ARTS] [INTOURIST] [VARIOUS: VOLKOV, N.; MAYAKOVSKY, V. STANISLAVSKY, K. GORKI, M. etc.]
Published by Various; Intourist 1933-1966, Moscow; New York; Leningrad, 1933
Seller: Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA, Winchester, VA, U.S.A.Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA
Contact seller5-star seller90+ (with a few additional duplicates) pieces of ephemeral material ranging from page copiously illustrated tour guides produced in the US on behalf of the USSR tourist initiatives, to single sheet recital tickets and programs clearly produced to the lowest costs and standards, many of which were not intended to last more than a… single occasion. Condition is largely Very Good, with a few of the pieces having some wear or damp staining, a number of pieces have small "Book Sale" ink stamps, presumably pieces that originated in the same collection and were then donated somewhere for sale. A fascinating and varied collection of theatrical and tourist ephemera, with much of it originating in one of the most dynamic and experimental periods in Soviet performing arts. "Good intentions do not play a role in art. In art, only achievements play a role." A.V. Lunacharski. Intourist was originally formed in 1929 as "????????????? ??????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ??????????? ???????? ??? «????????»" which more or less translates as the "All-Russian Joint-Stock Company for the Acceptance of Foreign Tourists". It was far more than a travel agency, however, controlling as it did almost all tourist access from the West into the USSR, and operating on a number of levels to carefully control and curate the view of Soviet Russia that was presented to the rest of the world. The president of Intourist in 1933, Wilhelm Kurz of the Central Committee, was the first USSR visitor to be formally accepted by the US when he visited immediately after the nation had been granted recognition. Higher officials in Intourist (actually "??????????? ??????", with the popular name simply being a contraction of the Russian language phrasing of "Foreign Tourist", or "Innostrannyy Turist") tended to be secure and solid party officials whose loyalty to the state was rarely questioned, the main reason for this being that their interactions with foreign nations (and nationals) increased the possibility of defection; something Intourist learned early on when their UK representative in London, Aron Sheinman, declined to return to the Motherland when summoned, and became a British citizen in 1939, which was probably rather good timing. Intourist in the 1930's, midway through another Soviet Five Year Plan, was given the brief to attract wealthy Western culture vultures and businesspeople to the USSR, and display to them (with astonishing attention to detail), how much better the Soviet people were doing than their Western counterparts, whilst also planting the seeds for future collaboration. The US was in the midst of the Depression, not that the people paying $465 for their trip tickets in 1934 needed to worry much about that, but being met from your luxurious "Soviet Ship" and ferried to your Moscow hotel by a fleet of brand new Lincoln town cars for two solid weeks of high culture and fine dining, being escorted every step of the way by guides and assistants, must have made quite an impression. The number of Americans who could afford a new Lincoln was pretty small at that point, and the number who could travel even smaller, so the Intourist agenda was aimed to within a minute of accuracy at the Westerners who could do them the most good; the rich, the famous, and the culturally influential. There's nothing accidental about the Intourist literature being filled with Margaret Bourke White's photographs, and commentaries from notable Western culture critics and authorities. Tales abound, from the Western tourists able to take advantage of Intourist's services, of constant surveillance, an absence of any freedom of movement (usually disguised by the concept that there was so much to see in the Wonderland of the USSR that wandering off would just mean you missed the best parts), and some very strict non-fraternisation policies that only eased off after 1953 when Stalin's strictures against marrying non-Soviet citizens were rolled back. At the height of the Cold War, a period parts of this collection span, Intourist was essentially an arm of the KGB rather than a tour company; hotels were bugged, drivers recorded all conversations, the guides reported even the most casual of disclosures to their superiors, and no opportunity was lost to gather information on the one hand, and disseminate pro-soviet propaganda on the other. Itineraries of Intourist tours for the period show very clearly that even the First Class tourists paying an eye-watering premium were not permitted anything other than the most token periods of 'freedom', with one Moscow-Leningrad tour timetabling only 8 hours of 'unsupervised' time spread across 10 days beginning at 8am and ending at around 11pm. All forms of Soviet culture from collective farm visits, to mountain hikes, to visits to the Bolshoi served a concrete purpose; to showcase the USSR's successes whilst concealing any of its blemishes. Impromptu hangouts with the actors at the Moscow State Theatre were in fact carefully scripted and choreographed encounters with no dissonant (or dissident) notes, night life was restricted to a carefully chosen list of venues, and wherever possible visitors were kept moving from one location to another in quick succession, emphasizing the cavalcade of wonders whilst denying any insights that might be gathered by more leisurely viewing. Looking behind the scenery, would only result in you seeing more scenery. "in the alternate universe that was the Soviet Union, the 'giant squid' of the Soviet state [would] engulf the traveler. [There were] myriad ways in which the Soviet tourist monopoly, Intourist, both hindered the foreigner and shielded him from the vagaries of Soviet material life, and above all, the psychological costs of 'routine surveillance'. and the barriers the Soviets erected between foreigners and unvarnished (and uncomfortable) truths about the Soviet Union." Alex Hazanov "Porous Empire; Foreign Visitors and the Post-Stalin Soviet State" University of Pennsylvania 2.
