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[HOW TO MOVE HOUSES] Kak peredvigayut doma [i.e. How to Move Houses]

IVANOV, I.

Item #2892

Moscow; Leningrad: Giz, 1949. 65, [3] pp.: ill. 13×19,8 cm. In original printed wrappers with a pictorial vignette. Minor wear, otherwise near fine.

Scarce. First edition. 1 of 4,000 copies.
An interesting manual on how to move buildings written by Ivan Ivanov in the early post-war years.
The brochure was intended for engineering and technical workers, students of specialized educational institutions, and persons who wanted to expand their horizons in the construction field.
At the beginning of the book, the author explains the necessity of moving buildings from one place to another. According to Ivanov, the reconstruction of Moscow (1949) often required the demolition of many buildings, among which some constructions were of particular architectural/historical interest, and their destruction was inadmissible. In the following sections, the author reviews the history of relocating structures abroad and in the Russian Empire and stipulates the practicality of moving buildings by several factors:
the historical, architectural, and material value of the building as well as technical and economic indicators. The text provides a detailed description of the method used in the Soviet Union for the relocation of heavy structures (railroad tracks). Ivanov suggests moving buildings at night “when people, tired of daytime work, sleep soundly, entrusting their safety to Soviet workers,” and to prove the high qualification of Soviet specialists brings an exciting example when a curious resident of house #24 in Gorky St. built a house of cards to check whether it would fall apart during the relocation. In the last sections of the book, the author elaborates upon the economic basis of moving buildings and offers interesting tables showing the costs of work, comparison of relocation and new construction costs, and expenses of basic materials. The author also focuses on the further development of relocation technology in the USSR and provides several recommendations: the proper usage of materials, the application of prefabricated metal structures, etc.
The edition features numerous tables, schemes, and black- andand equipment on board. The book is illustrated with portraits of the victims and a film still of the ANT-20 taken by the camera operator a few seconds before the crash. This image became one of the few (if not the only) remnants of the unreleased documentary film about the fatal flight that was conceived to be a manifestation of Soviet glory.

Worldcat shows only one copy at Columbia University.

Price: $850.00