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[INSCRIBED TO FEMALE STAKHANOVITE] Stalinskoe plemia stakhanovtsev [i.e. Stalinist Tribe of Stakhanov’s Followers]

Item #2369

Moscow: Gos. izdatel’stvo izobrazitel’nykh iskusstv, 1936. [2], XX, 71, [1], 72-82, [2], 83-86 pp.: ill., 2 portraits. 29x30 cm. In original cloth binding with flap of back cover, with silver lettering and blind debossed image on front cover, silver design on spine; blind logo of publisher on back cover. Illustrated endpapers. Tear of one tissue paper, next to I.Stalin. First and only edition. One of 3000 copies produced. Very rare.

Ornamented inscription from 1936 on the first endpaper: the book was a gift to stachanovite Nina Belilovskaya of Osaviakhim Factory named after Molotov, inscribed by the head of the factory, comrade Baukin.

Notable parade edition on socialist competition and its enthusiasts. Text by V. Bogushevskii. Design was produced by Tbilisi-born graphic artist and engraver Evgenii Goliakhovskii (1902-1971). He first studied in the Krasnodar Art School, then learnt engravings under V. Favorskii in 1936-1937. Later Goliakhovskii also studied under A. Kravchenko and I. Grabar’ at the Moscow Art Institute named after V. Surikov and graduated in 1940. The artist is mostly known as book designer and bookplate engraver. In this design, he made photomontages and arranged photographs provided by representatives of organizations ‘Soiuzfoto’, ‘Pravda’, ‘Izvestiia’ and ‘Gudok’.

The first double-page montage shows Stalin’s speech at the First All-Union Congress of Shock-Workers. The left part shows party leaders montaged sitting or standing behind tribunes and
the right part demonstrates the audience that is partly imprinted on one page of an inserted brochure as well. Apart from the crowd combined of several pieces, the image is supplemented with a picture of a huge factory placed after them on the horizon. The brochure contains the speech itself. Another option of the montaged crowd is printed on the nearest double-page spread with a folding flip on one leaf. Around ridiculous party leaders with montaged heads, male and female representatives of the Stakhanov movement are portrayed. One of the last compositions is constructed as an ornament of 15 shock-workers’ portraits. They decorate a list of those who were honored with the Order of Lenin (97 people). Separate photographs of them are also published. Shock-workers were selected among people of different fields and enterprises. There are miners, agricultural workers, weavers, electric welders, as well as young pioneers preparing for socialist competition.

The edition includes drawn and photo portraits of Donbas miner Alexei Stakhanov who inspired the whole era of workaholism and overfulfillment of standards in the Soviet Union. “On August 30, 1935, for 6 hours of work, an employee of the station “Tsentral’naia-Irmino”, comrade Stakhanov produced 102 tons of coal with a jackhammer”. Actually, his record was set by an entire brigade, but printed matters usually contain his name only. Data visualization is given on a scheme comparing carriages of coal produced before and then. This book provides names of other shock-working miners – their records are demonstrated in another scheme. Graphic works were contributed by B. Efimov and V. Deni, as well as F. Bogorodskii, A. Keil’, G. Riazhskii. For
example, Efimov’s caricature is leveled at a fascist at which young enthusiasts of socialist competition are laughing.

Karasik, M. The art of persuasion: parade editions of the 1920s and 30s. P. 142-143.

Worldcat locates copies at Princeton University and Library of Congress.

Price: $5,500.00