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[ONE OF THE RAREST RUSSIAN MIMEOGRAPH BOOKS] Novyi Giperborei. Zhurnal Tsekha poetov. #1 [i.e. The New Hyperborean. Journal of the Guild of Poets]

Petrograd: 1921. Item #211

20 pp., ill. 27,5х22 cm. In original publisher’s wrappers. Fine.

One of 23 copies. Extremely rare, especially in such mint condition.
This magazine (de facto almanac) was printed using mimeograph because after the revolution there was a great deficit of materials and publishers (a lot of handwritten books were created during that period of time). It has lithographed autographs of new poems and illustrations made by poets themselves: N. Gumilev, Vs. Rozhdestvenskii, M. Lozinsky, O. Mandelstam, G. Ivanov, I. Odoevtseva, A. Onoshko-Yatsyny, V. Khodasevich, Nik. Otsup. Three of them later emigrated, Gumilev and Mandelstam died. So this this one of a kind almanac is a unique
example of diverse group of poets collaborating on a project. The edition itself is a meeting point between Russian Silver Age and Russian avant-garde experiments in printing – this makes it one of the most important books of the day.

There were four issues of New Hyperborean compiled by Gumilev before its end but only 5 copies of last three issues printed. So #1 is the only real survivor and evidence of that early collaboration.

WorldCat locates a copy of the first issue in Amherst College Library.

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