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[A PARADE EDITION - SOVIET SHOCK-WORKERS] Stalinskoe plemia stakhanovtsev [i.e. A Stalinist Tribe of Stakhanov’s Followers]

Moscow: Gos. izdatel’stvo izobrazitel’nykh iskusstv, 1936. Item #1395

[2], XX, 71, [1], 72-82, [2], 83-86 pp.: ill., 2 portraits. 29x30 cm. In original cloth binding with a flap of the back cover, with silver lettering and blind debossed image on the front cover, silver design on the spine; publisher’s blind logo on the back cover. Illustrated endpapers. Restored, a tear of the title page along the spine, first section partly detached from the block, some creases and few small stains on the folding part of p. 5/6, otherwise very good.

First and only edition. One of 3,000 copies produced. Very rare.
A notable parade edition on socialist competition and its enthusiasts. Text by V. Bogushevskii.
Designed by the Tbilisi-born graphic artist and engraver Evgenii Goliakhovskii (1902-1971). He first studied at the Krasnodar Art School, and in 1936-1937, mastered the art of engraving under V. Favorskii. Later, Goliakhovskii studied under A. Kravchenko and I. Grabar’ at the V. Surikov Moscow Art Institute, graduating in 1940. The artist is mostly known as a book designer and bookplate engraver. In this design, he made photomontages and arranged photographs provided by various representatives of the Soiuzfoto, Pravda, Izvestiia, and Gudok organizations.
The first double-page montage shows Stalin’s speech at the First All-Union Congress of Shock-Workers. The left side shows party leaders sitting or standing behind the tribunes. The right side of the montage depicts the audience, which is also partially imprinted on one page of the inserted brochure. In addition to the crowd composed of several pieces, the image is complemented by the picture of a huge factory located on the horizon. The brochure also contains the speech itself. Another version of the montaged crowd is printed on the nearest double-page spread with a folding flip on one leaf. Ridiculous party leaders with montaged heads are surrounded by male and female representatives of the Stakhanov movement. One of the last compositions is created as an ornament of 15 shock-workers’ portraits, decorating a list of those who were honored with the Order of Lenin (97 people). Separate photographs of them are also published. Shock workers were selected among people from different fields and enterprises: miners, agricultural workers, weavers, electric welders, as well as young pioneers preparing for socialist competition.
The edition includes drawings and photo portraits of the Donbas miner Alexei Stakhanov who inspired the whole era of workaholism and overfulfillment of standards in the Soviet Union. “On August 30, 1935, in 6 hours of work, an employee of the station “Tsentral’naia-Irmino,” comrade Stakhanov produced 102 tons of coal with a jackhammer.” Although his record was set by an entire brigade, printed matters usually mentioned only his name. Data visualization is presented in the scheme of comparison of carriages of coal produced before and then. This book provides names of other shock-working miners, with their records being showcased in another scheme.
The graphic works were contributed by B. Efimov, V. Deni, F. Bogorodskii, A. Keil’, and G. Riazhskii. For example, Efimov’s caricature is directed at a fascist who is being laughed at by young enthusiasts of socialist competition.

Karasik, M. The art of persuasion: parade editions of the 1920s and 30s. P. 142-143.

The only copy is located in LoC.

Status: On Hold