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[WORKERS’ CLUBS IN SOVIET GEORGIA] inst’ruktsiebi da debulebani sak’lubo mushaobis shesakheb. ts’igni p’irveli = Polozheniya i instruktsii po klubnoy rabote. Vyp. 1 [i.e. Regulations and Instructions for Club Work. Issue 1]

Item #2199

Tbilisi, 1928 (zaria vost’ok’as st’.). 64 pp. 12,3x8,6 cm.

In original publisher’s printed wrappers. Fine condition.
First edition. 1 of 600 copies. Bilingual, text in Georgian and Russian.

An extremely rare pocketbook, Regulations and Instructions for Club Work, issued by the Council of Trade Unions of Georgia in Tbilisi in 1928. The book was likely selectively distributed to key personnel involved in the management and organization of workers' clubs in Georgia, including club administrators and trade union leaders.
In Georgia, as in other Soviet republics, workers' clubs were established almost immediately after the October Revolution, driven by the active trade union movement. These clubs aimed to provide workers with healthy recreation and opportunities for self-improvement through exposure to Soviet culture via mass meetings, lectures, and performances. By the late 1920s, hundreds of workers' clubs had sprung up across major Georgian cities and towns, with nearly every urban block or major organization hosting its own club (“Internatsional,” “Plekhanovi,” etc.). After Stalin's death, workers’ clubs gradually lost their influence, and by the 1970s, most had been repurposed or shut down.
The book provides a rare, in-depth exploration of the structure and functions of Georgian workers' clubs in the 1920s. The edition is organized into five chapters, each focusing on a specific club section, including the administrative section, mass commission, artistic commission, drama circles, etc. The text outlines each section's objectives, organizational challenges, and financial aspects, all geared toward promoting Soviet values and culture. An interesting chapter on "Radio Circles" details steps for raising awareness about the newly introduced radio broadcasting (1919), including instructions for building radio receivers and learning to receive Morse code by ear. The book closes with a "Provision on Club Assets" chapter, outlining strategies to enhance club effectiveness, such as engaging women through tailoring circles and creating wall newspapers. Overall, an extremely rare source of information on the organization of workers’ clubs in the Soviet Georgia.

No copies found in Worldcat.

Price: $650.00