Soviet propaganda volume illustrated throughout with photomontages by El Lissitzky, 104 pp. (including one double-folded panorama). Oblong folio (11 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches.) Black blind-stamped original cloth binding. Some abrasions and wear to covers, small split along spine, old repaired tear to front flyleaf, some old toning and damp-staining, a few pages with red staining/bleeding from red ink on adjacent page, overall very good. Moscow: Izogiz, 1934.

This striking book of Soviet propaganda illustrates a May Day parade in Red Square, which celebrated and showcased the strength of the Red Army. It was published for the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Army. It features a layout and photomontages by El Lissitzky, including a large folding photomontage of Stalin and his troops. There are also illustrations by several prominent photographers, including A. Shajhet, G. Zel'manovich, G. Debabov, G. Petrusov, A. Shagin, and others. Some pages are printed in two colors.

In his 2004 work, "The Photobook", Martin Parr writes: "His [Lissitzky's] photographic layout is as lively as one might expect from one so well versed in Constructivist angles and the complex layerings of the photomontage. The book's 'coup de théâtre' comes at the beginning, with a fold-out coloured montage that features Stalin, the red star and the troops in one of Lissitzky's most bravura pieces of propaganda collage."

This volume, present here complete and uncensored, is quite rare, especially when it includes the illustrations of the "Enemies of the People". This work became the subject of censorship following the Great Purge, in which several of the officers depicted in this book were executed.

Paradnaia kniga strany sovetov, pp. 163-169; MoMA, The Russian Avant-Garde Book, 1044; The Photobook, Vol. I, pp. 170-173; Iskusstvo ubezhdat', pp. 74.

A striking chronicle of 1930s Soviet propaganda and a fascinating example of El Lissitzky's work.

Book ID: 53441

Price: $16,500.00