Bookvica

[PIONEERING RUSSIAN STUDY ON WORLD POPULATION] Klassifikatsiya i chislennost' narodov zemli: Geograf. nazv. [i.e. Classification and Number of Earth's Peoples: Geographical Names]

Korvin-Velednitsky, D.

Item #2184

Tbilisi: elektropech. Gruz. izd. t-va, 1915. 32 pp. 22,1x15,3 cm.

In original publisher’s printed wrappers. Author’s period ink inscriptions on the front wrapper: “To the esteemed comrade N. G. Dzasokhov, the finest manager, with kind regards from the author and pedagogue, 1927, 8/III” and “Corrected by the author.” Loss of the spine, wrappers worn, front wrapper attached to the rear one with a library paper label, inventory numbers on the front wrapper, but otherwise in a good condition.
Very rare. First edition. Text in Russian. Inscribed to Ossetian public figure, publicist, and teacher Grigoriy Dzasokhov (1880-1918). Educated at the Ardon Theological Seminary and Kazan Theological Academy, Dzasokhov taught literature at Vladikavkaz Real School. He was known for his articles on Ossetia and his role as the editor of the short-lived socialist-democratic newspaper "Iskra." In 1917, Dzasokhov was appointed school director in his hometown, where he died a year later.

One of the earliest studies of world population statistics was conducted by Dmitry Korvin-Velednitsky (1889-1938), a Jewish economist and member of the Caucasian Geographical Society, in 1915. During the Great Purge, the author was executed on the charges of counter-revolutionary activity, sabotage in the economic planning of Transcaucasia, and espionage for foreign intelligence.
The Russian National Library catalog identifies this edition as the first Russian publication on the topic. The book, which originally presented world population statistics from 1915, includes handwritten corrections by the author updating the data to 1924.
In the introductory chapters, Korvin-Velednitsky defines his target audience (scientists, specialists, and the general public) and introduces a compelling hypothesis: “in the future, all races will unite into a single human race, and before that happens, people will adopt a common language (but definitely not Esperanto!).”
In the main section, Korvin-Velednitsky divides the world population into four primary races: 1) Yellow (900,000,000), 2) White (885,000,000), 3) Black (215,000,000), and 4) Brown or "Primary" (1,000,000). He breaks down each race into branches, providing population totals for each race and individual peoples (ex.: Eskimos, Aleuts, Chukchi, and other polar people – less then 100,000; Bulgars – 1,000,000; Russians – 115,000,000; Chechens – 350,000; Georgians – 2,700,000; Jews – 15,000,000; Abkhazians – 100,000.). Unlike previous classification systems, Korvin-Velednitsky classifies Bulgars under the Yellow race (Mongolian branch), creates a Dravidian branch, adds an Ancient European group to the Aryan branch of the White race, and introduces the concept of a "Brown" or "Primary" race—described as “degenerate remnants of a prehistoric human race.”
The book features a list of native names for geographical locations and peoples across five continents, adhering to the principle of using each group’s self-designated names (e.g., Sakartvelo for Georgia, Lietuva for Lithuania). The edition concludes with the author’s manuscript notes on world population distribution by continent.
Overall, one of the earliest studies of world population statistics printed in Tbilisi in 1915.
Worldcat shows 1 copy of the edition at New York Public Library.

Price: $350.00