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[RUSSIAN HARBIN] Skazka pro vorob’ya vorobeicha i yersha yershovicha [i.e. The Tale of Sparrow Vorobych and Ersh Ershovich]

Mamin-Sibiryak, D.

Item #2432

Kharbin: Mirok, [1937]. 20 pp.: ills. 21,9x14,8 cm. Wrappers
worn, mild damp stain throughout the right corner of the book.
Extremely rare. 1 of 1,000 copies. First edition. Text in
Russian. With black-and-white illustrations by A. Komarov.
Very rare Chinese Russian imprint with no copies found in
the Russian State Library and National Library of Russia.

A beautifully illustrated children’s book by Mamin-Sibiryak,
published in 1937 by the Russian émigré publishing house Mirok in
Harbin, with a limited print run of just 1,000 copies. In the 1950s,
like many other Russian editions printed in China between 1917 and
1947, the book was subject to destruction under orders from the
Chinese Communist leadership. Our copy apparently belonged to
a Russian émigré from Harbin, who managed to safeguard it from
the purge.
At the time of the book’s publication, Harbin was home
to one of the most dynamic Russian communities outside the
Soviet Union. Founded in connection with the construction of the
Chinese Eastern Railway in the late 1890s, the city became a major
hub of Russian life in exile. By the 1920s and 1930s, Harbin’s Russian
population numbered in the hundreds of thousands, forming a
vibrant society with its own schools, theaters, newspapers, and
publishing houses.
The book was printed by the Mirok publishing house,
established in the early 1930s to address the growing need for
high-quality Russian-language books for children. Directed by
N. Sokolov and printed under the supervision of the experienced
typographer I. Myznikov, Mirok became known for its modest but
beautifully crafted editions. Although its print runs rarely exceeded
1,000 copies, its books were in high demand and quickly became
prized rarities within the émigré community.

The edition features front-wrapper and black-and-white
illustrations throughout by the Soviet artist Alexander Komarov
(1879-1977). He illustrated numerous works including books
for children and scientific treatises. Komarov also made many
propaganda posters for the USSR. He was awarded the titles of
Honoured Art Worker of RSFSR in 1947 and People’s Artist of the
RSFSR in 1972.

No copies found
in Worldcat.

Price: $450.00