Bookvica

[REICHSKOMMISSARIAT OSTLAND] The lot of three calendars, printed in Latvia during WWII

Item #2701

1) Lauksaimniecības gada grāmata ‘Darbs un zeme’ 1943 gadam [i.e. Agricultural Yearbook ‘Labor and Land’ for 1943]. Jelgava: Zemgale, 1943. 256 p. 22 × 17 cm.
2) Gada Grāmata straādājošiem 1943 gadam [i.e. Yearbook for Workers for 1943]. Riga: Arodbiedrību Centrālās Savienibas Izdevums, 1943. 160 p. 20 × 14,2 cm. The calendar was printed in January of 1943.
3) Lauksaimnieka Gada grāmata 1944 gadam [i.e. Farmer’s Yearbooks for 1944]. Riga: Saimniecibas literātūras apgāds, 1944. 112 p. 21,7 × 15,6 cm.

All three in original illustrated wrappers. Minor tears of the spines, minor soiling, but overall in good condition. The third calendar has a few markings, inscription and a schematic stamp on the title page. Interesting collection of Nazi-comissioned yearbooks for the Lativan peasants and workers. For many dwellers of the country, especially in the remote areas, this was one of the main channels of propaganda aimed at them. The actual calendar occupies around 30 pages in each yearbook, the rest is the mix content-wise of useful articles about agriculture, the advises how to organize the common life and the dwellings. Worker’s yearbook boasts more nuanced design and content: it has union-related news, the updates on the news in the Latvian industry, the article
about the Latvian women (titled ‘Second front’), the anticommunist publicist article, the article about the good of joining the army, and overworking (claiming, that working 12 hours a day is fine), and the humor pages, the riddles for the mind, the overview of cultural events in Riga. The calendar, printed in Jelgave, includes the literary works of the local authors, prose and poetry.

The artist, inclined in the design of Jelgave calendar was Pēteris Zutis (1905-1944), relatively known Latvian modernist artist and poster designer, a few of his other works could be found here:
https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Peteris-Zutis/B146E1DA1783E2D7/Artworks.

Price: $1,500.00