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[THE EARLIEST MOSCOW METRO HANDBOOK] Chto dolzhen znat’ passazhir Metropolitena [i.e. What Metro Passenger Should Know] / compiled and edited by I. Kattsen

Item #1305

Moscow: Moskovskii rabochii, 1935. 25, [39] pp.: ill. 6,5х14 cm. In original oversized wrappers with an illustrated flap of the front cover. In very good condition. Minor tears, pale water stain on the outer edge, some double-leaves detached from the middle of the book.
Very rare edition related to the opening of the first line of Moscow Metro on May 15, 1935.
In addition to the first 50 000 copies, this extra print run was 200 000 copies. The constructivist design was produced by V. Smirnov. The compiler and editor, Ilya Kattsen was an author of a wide range of books and pamphlets about the Moscow Metro from 1935 to the late 1940s.
This small but incredible guide helped passengers to plan their first journey by the Moscow Metro. It overviewed where the person would go down and pay for fares, how stations would look like, how to navigate inside this underground urban area. The edition contained safety and security notices and assured visitors that their trip would be safe.
Trains went from the Sokolniki to the Park Kultury, with a branch line to Smolenskaya Ploshchad’. All 13 stations of these two lines with distances between them are depicted on a scheme on verso of the front cover. This is one of the first official schemes of this transport system.
The front cover flap features a picture of an upcoming train while the rear side of the back cover shows the interior of a carriage. Half of the book presented illustrations. Each station is featured in pictures showing its location on a map, exterior and interior.
Also, tables included distances and times between stations, public transport stops next to stations and state institutions around.

Worldcat shows the only copy located in Monash University.

Price: $1,000.00