Bookvica

[GARDENING DURING WWII] Ogorod v komnate [i.e. Garden in a Room]

Raevsky, N.

Item #2441

Moscow: Gostorgizdat, 1943. 30, [2] pp.: ills. 16,3x12,8 cm. In original
publisher’s illustrated wrappers. Wrappers detached, tears of the
spine, loss of the upper margin of the front wrapper and the title
page (with the author’s name affected), but otherwise in good
condition.
Scarce. Text in Russian.

An interesting wartime Soviet edition and one of the
earliest DIY guides on growing vegetables indoors, written by
Russian botanist Nikolay Ivanovich Raevsky.
The book was sent to press on February 11, 1943, as the Red
Army began to push westward following the victory at Stalingrad.
At the time, much of the country’s most fertile farmland—
Ukraine and southern Russia—remained under Nazi control or
lay in ruins. Damaged transport networks and the prioritization of
non-perishable goods for the Red Army further worsened civilian
food access. In response, the Soviet government promoted home
gardening, including growing food in urban apartments, as a vital
supplement to the wartime diet.
The edition emphasizes the importance of vegetables as
a key source of essential vitamins and provides detailed guidance
on growing greens and vegetables in living spaces. Raevsky offers
practical advice on the simplest methods for planting and caring for
crops indoors, setting up a windowsill garden, starting seedlings,
and even cultivating mushrooms at home. The book includes seven
black-and-white illustrations that clearly demonstrate techniques
such as making paper pots, transplanting sprouts, and organizing a
windowsill garden during the summer.
Overall, a remarkable wartime book, offering practical,
science-based solutions for urban food production at a time of
extreme scarcity.

Worldcat shows
only copy of
the edition at
the Library of
Congress.

Price: $650.00