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[LENIN’S PRAVDA, 1912–1962: RARE CONSTRUCTIVIST-STYLE SOVIET ANNIVERSARY PHOTOBOOK] Leninskaya “Pravda”. 1912-1962: [Fotoal’bom] [i.e. Lenin’s “Truth.” 1912-1962: [Photo Album]]

Item #2747

Moscow: Pravda, 1962. [84] pp.: ill. 35x26,8 cm. In original publisher’s cloth binding. Original illustrated dust-wrapper preserved. Dust-wrapper with tears, but otherwise internally clean copy; with issue no. 103 of the 1961 newspaper Pravda [i.e. Truth] tipped in. 6 pp.: ill. 60x41,5 cm. Fine.

Scarce with the dust-wrapper. First edition. Text in Russian. Compiled by A. Zemtsov, N. Polyakov, V. Ruet, S. Sutotsky. Edited by S. Sutotsky. Design by the Soviet artist A. Zhitomirsky. With the reproduction of photographs by V. Klimov, P. Otsup, S. Raskin, Yu. Trankvilitsky, A. Ustinov, V. Shakhovsky, Ya. Khalip, etc.
An extremely rare commemorative photo book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Soviet newspaper “Pravda” and illustrating the main stages of the half-century history of the USSR’s most influential propaganda organ.
“Pravda” [i.e. Truth] was the official daily newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and one of the most influential papers in the country. The newspaper began publication on 5 May 1912 in the Russian Empire but was already extant abroad in January 1911. It emerged as the leading government newspaper of the Soviet Union after the October Revolution with a circulation of over 11 million copies. At different times, its prominent editors included Lev Kamenev, Joseph Stalin, Nikolai Bukharin, Lev Mekhlis, Mikhail Suslov, and Pavel Satyukov (who notably served as editor-in-chief during this 1962 anniversary period). Historically, “Pravda” served as the launching pad for many major Soviet ideological campaigns, including the Stakhanovite movement, the denunciation of writers Mikhail Zoshchenko and Anna Akhmatova, the political struggle against “rootless cosmopolitanism,” and the Virgin Lands epic. Today, the newspaper continues its legacy as the central organ of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and is published three times a week.
The book is a remarkable example of late-Soviet photobook design, utilizing a dynamic scrapbook aesthetic reminiscent of early Soviet Constructivism. Typography-wise, the edition shows a striking contrast between the bold, capitalized red headings and the rigid columns of the monochromatic newspaper facsimiles and plain texts. The core of the volume combines reprints of Pravda’s historical front pages, archival photographs, political cartoons, and reproductions of Socialist Realist paintings to chronicle the nation’s history through the lens of state media. The densely packed pages trace a timeline from the paper’s foundation through the October Revolution, industrialization, electrification, the Five-Year Plans, World War II, and cultural milestones, culminating in the era of Nikita Khrushchev. Importantly, the book was published in early 1962, as the campaign against “personality cults” was actively sweeping across the Soviet bloc to enforce de-Stalinization. Reflecting this strict political climate, the retrospective notably contains not a single mention or image of Joseph Stalin, choosing instead to dedicate its extensive ideological praise entirely to Vladimir Lenin.
The book is supplemented with an original 1961 copy of “Pravda” (issue #103), dedicated to the “first person to enter space, citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin.” The issue contains articles praising the USSR and Gagarin for his historic achievement. It also includes an interesting section titled “People of All Continents Are in Awe,” which features brief notes collected by Pravda’s foreign correspondents detailing how the news was received across Europe, Asia, and the United States. This section highlights triumphant articles with headlines such as “The Visible Superiority of Socialism,” “Russia Wins,” and “The USSR is Ahead.” The publication is richly illustrated with photographs of Gagarin and the Soviet people joyously celebrating the monumental news.

Price: $1,200.00