We guarantee the authenticity and completeness of all items (unless otherwise described), and are happy to provide a certificate to this effect. All items can be assumed to be in good condition, with any defects being described in our description.
We guarantee the authenticity and completeness of all items (unless otherwise described), and are happy to provide a certificate to this effect. All items can be assumed to be in good condition, with any defects being described in our description.
The tumultuous events of 1917 caused great deprivation and shortages of materials. Printing houses were seized by the government and paper became incredibly scarce, essentially bringing publishing to a halt. As a result, several prominent artists, led by Vera Ermolaeva, founded an ‘Artel’ (a creative collective) under the name ‘Segodnia’ [Today].
The aim was to continue to produce groundbreaking work using the limited resources available to them at the time, meaning that all the group’s works are hand printed from linoleum blocks. The harsh conditions limited the format and edition size but in turn generated a new wave of children’s books that were hugely significant in the development of avant-garde art.
The studio produced 13 titles, with 1/4 Deviatogo [Quarter Past Eight] by Annenkov being particularly rare.
The Revolution changed many things, one being the removal of certain letters from the Cyrillic alphabet, which made it a lot easier for children to learn their spelling! Dobuzhinsky’s ‘merry’ alphabet book includes a witty nod to this by putting three of the abolished letters in a museum cloche dated 1917. The remaining letters are each paired with a playful yet elegant illustration with some clearly mocking the former regime. The letter O illustrates an ‘obzhora’ [glutton] stuffing his face with sausage whilst P for ‘pushka’ [gun] depicts incompetent soldiers in Imperial uniforms.
Dobuzhinsky’s lighthearted style was a little too jovial for the authorities and did not go far enough with its ideological message. He was advised to leave the Soviet Union in 1924 and it was lucky he did, poor Ermolaeva was executed for treason in 1937, despite her best efforts to tow the party line.
Artistic experimentation was initially encouraged in the 1920s but there was also a need to foster a sense of class-consciousness among the young. Concrete and informative graphic language became key in demonstrating the success of the socialist dream. The result was eye-catching and artful propaganda for the mass reader.
Two such examples are this wonderfully bright example of The Farmyard, a Futurist work displaying the delights of milking cows and Dhzannik and Kiryusha, a tale of Communist friendship between two boys from different Soviet states.
Even these revolutionary works of the 1920s and 30s eventually fell afoul of the censor and the style of illustration reverted to more traditional forms, bringing the golden age of children’s book designs to an end.
Shapero Rare Books is an internationally renowned dealer in London, specialising in antiquarian & rare books and works on paper, with particular expertise in fine illustrated books from the 15th to the 20th century, travel & voyages, natural history, modern firsts, rare children’s books, guidebooks, Hebraica & Judaica, Eastern European, and Islamica.
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Vvedensky was one of the great modern Russian absurdist writers, who was arrested along with Daniil Kharms during Stalin's political purges and di...
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A striking edition of Marshak's translation of the 16th-century English folk tale King John and the Bishop, illustrated by Vladimir Tronov. Marsha...
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Communism comes to the taiga. A vividly illustrated story set in the Siberian taiga tells the story of Churaul', a brave and sharp-eyed Evenk hunte...
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One of Narbut's best books and a very scarce Knebel title. The king of the mushrooms, Borovik tries to get various groups of mushrooms to join the...
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A truly Soviet depiction of the summer holidays for Young Pioneers. The children help harvest crops on a collective farm, chop wood and build hous...
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A beautiful children's book, finely illustrated in colour.Tales illustrated by Bilibin are among the most famous children's books both within and ...
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An interesting interpretation of Pushkin's fairy tale, The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights, with illustrations by Rimma Brailovska...
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Sinbad Morekhod is from the 'gift series' published by Joseph Knebel which featured folktales from around the world. Benois said that each time a ...
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Russian translation of Hans Christian Andersen's tale, Springfyrene, wonderfully illustrated by one of Ukraine's greatest artists, Heorhiy Narbut....
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An attractive Soviet children's book illustrated in a traditional 'lubki' style. Published as part of the libkez campaign to eradicate illiteracy ...
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Complete collection of Exter's panoramas . 'If a break was to be made in format and style, Exter was to make it in the grandest manner. [The panora...
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Complete with all the playing cards. A fine example of a Père Castor educational children's book complete with all the playing cards intact. 6 Méti...
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Pushkin's classic fairy tale illustrated by the eminent artist Boris Zvorykin. Born in Moscow in 1872, Zvorykin devoted himself to decorative art ...
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One of the finest soviet alphabet books. A scarce and humorous ABC from one of the most celebrated members of the Mir Iskusstva [World of Art] grou...
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In anticipation of the approaching London Antiquarian book fairs, this May, we are spotlighting rare African exploration works. Featured, are four first editions, with inscriptions linking them to historical figures, enhancing their collectability.
Join us as we journey through time to discover some of the rarest books in the world. The following texts have shown an extraordinary ability to survive, with some books having survived the ravages of flood and fire, and others counting only a single surviving copy.
The public perception of the East India Company, an organisation which was to become one of Britain's most notorious colonial ventures, was mediated by a collective of artists. Diplomatic wrangling, imperial posturing, trade and warfare became the subjects of a significant artistic movement, aimed at depicting and dissecting the Company’s involvement in the political and social life of the period.
The woods and rivers, hills and hollows of fiction constitute some of our earliest and most beloved memories: from the Hundred Acre Wood to the home of Mr. McGregor. Join us this Easter as we travel through the imaginary places and winding roads of children’s literature.
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