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[VALENTIN MANDELSTAMM] Khollivud [i.e. Hollywood]

Mandelstamm, V.

Item #2261

Leningrad: Mysl’, 1927. 176 pp. 16,5x13 cm. Original illustrated front wrapper preserved. Modern spine and back cover. Front cover and half-title restored, some small stains, period stamp of Crimean State Publishing House (Krymgosizdat) on half-title. Otherwise good copy with clean pages.

First and only edition. One of 5000 copies. Translated from French by E.N. Fedotova.
Cover design was created by Georgii Fitingof (von Vietinghoff; 1905–1975). He studied with A. R. Eberling, M. I. Avilov, and at VKHUTEMAS (1920–1926). During his study, he began to collaborate with publishing houses. In all, he worked for ‘Mysl’’ [Thought], ‘Priboy’ [Surf], ‘Gosizdat’ [State Publishing House], ‘Detskaya Literatura’ [Children’s Literature], magazines ‘Vokrug Sveta’ [Around the world] and ‘Leninskie Iskry’ [Lenin’s Sparks].
The novel was written by French screenwriter of Russian origin Valentin Mandelstamm (1876-1949). He was born in St Petersburg, but the family soon settled in Paris. He became known as a scriptwriter since the 1900s. Being interested in cinema, he was sent to Hollywood studios, as a representative of the French Embassy and the Ministry of Public Instruction. From 1927 to 1932, he was thus in charge of the mission in Hollywood and monitored anti-French motifs in American productions. He was entrusted with finding performers to play French roles and wrote many essays on American cinematography: ‘The Advent of Sound and Synchronized Films’ (1928), ‘Study on the Sound Film and its Relationship with American Movies’ (1928), ‘Report on the Sound Film’ (1930), ‘State of World Cinema’ (1932).
This book was published only once in the early USSR. Mandelstamm was a supporter of the Whites during the Civil War and his books couldn’t be repeatedly released in the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the novel well harmonized with other translated writings about America in the 1920s.

Worldcat shows a copy located in Amherst College.

Price: $950.00