Item #1560 [ONE OF THE FIRST SOVIET TRAVEL MAGAZINES] Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and Sea]
[ONE OF THE FIRST SOVIET TRAVEL MAGAZINES] Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and Sea]
[ONE OF THE FIRST SOVIET TRAVEL MAGAZINES] Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and Sea]
[ONE OF THE FIRST SOVIET TRAVEL MAGAZINES] Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and Sea]
[ONE OF THE FIRST SOVIET TRAVEL MAGAZINES] Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and Sea]

[ONE OF THE FIRST SOVIET TRAVEL MAGAZINES] Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and Sea]

Moscow: Molodaya gvardiya, 1929-1941. Item #1560

#1 of 1931. 20 pp.: ill. 21.7x29 cm. In original photomontage wrappers. Tears of the spine with text affected (minor), foxing of the wrappers. Otherwise in very good condition.

Scarce. Printrun varied. In 1931 the magazine was published with the printrun of 75,000 copies.

An early issue of one of the most famous Soviet travel magazines with two photomontages inside.

From the early 1920s, Soviet society was characterized by the growing interest in travel and local history. To exercise hegemony over the tourist sphere, the Communist government established the Society of Proletarian Tourism and Excursions in 1930. Founded on the basis of the Soviet Tourist and the Society of the Proletarian Tourism, the OPTE encouraged mass travel through organizing tours and public speeches, as well as publishing its periodical organ Na sushe i na more [i.e. On Land and on Sea].

The leading Soviet travel magazine was printed from 1929 until 1941 and introduced the readership to different destinations, the latest travel initiatives, travel publications, local history, etc., with a significant focus on domestic tourism. The design of the magazine reached its peak in the 1930s, when black-and-white drawings on the covers were altered by remarkable photographs. At different times, the periodical was edited by G. Yarstev, Vladimir Antonov-Saratovsky, B. Kotel’nikov, Nikolai Krylenko, etc. The latter, the Chairman of the OPTE, was arrested and executed in 1938, two years after the dissolution of the organization. The magazine was discontinued in 1941 and substituted by the periodical Turist [i.e. Tourist], which is published up to date.

This beautiful early issue of the magazine was printed under the editorship of Vladimir Antonov-Saratovsky in 1930. The issue features photomontage wrappers by the artist G. Yakubovich and includes an abundance of black-and-white photographs as well as two photomontages. The articles are dedicated to the Komsomol and the Proletarian Tourism (L. Gurvich), Kurds in Armenia, the production of the movie Storm Over Mont Blanc, etc. The issue also comprises engaging travel sketches written by P. Loginov, Rud. Bershadskiy, L. Gurvich, E. Rodzevich and describing the route to Karelia and Murmansk (with an emphasis on the historical background), a trip from Bashkiria to Svaneti, a voyage of the motor ship Abkhazia around the Europe, and the 1931 ascent (under the leadership of Viktor Nikitin) on Belukha Mountain. The last two sections of the magazine, What to Read? and Leisure, offer bibliography of the latest travel publications and riddles.

Overall, a rare insight into the early 1930s Soviet perception of the tourist sphere.

No copies found in Worldcat.

Price: $350.00

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