[LE DANTU MOUNTAIN] Izvestiya kavkazskogo otdela russkogo geogra cheskogo obschestva [i.e. The Bulletin of Caucasus Department of Russian Geographical Society]
Tiflis: K.P. Kozlovsky, 1917. Item #476
378 pp. 24x16 cm. Original printed wrappers. Spine is restored. Some stains of the wrapper. Otherwise good.
The bulletin features the geological article by Ilia Zdanevich ‘Two Attempts to Climb Tbilisis-tsveri (4419 meters) in Uilpaty Mountains’. In the article Ilia described the efforts of the group of mountaineers to conquer the mountain in Adjara (now - north of Turkey). 10 page article is written in a very candid of cial language, quite opposite from the zaum and language of Zdanevich’s futurist books. The efforts took place in the summer of 1916.
On p. 274 there’s more information on Zdanevich’s journey, in couple of paragraphs it is summed up. There is a notion that Zdanevich saw previously unknown mountain in the area that he gave the name ‘Le Dantu’. The paragraph doesn’t say that but looks like Zdanevich named the mountain after his fellow artist and soulmate Mikhail Le Dantu (1889-1917), who worked alongside him in Ti is and in Saint Petersburg. The year the book was published Le Dantu died aged 26 when he slipped and fell from the train on the tracks.
Apparently this fact is completely unknown as the following events of 1917-1920s changed a lot and the record of the name of the mountain didn’t hold anywhere.
Price: $2,500.00