[CONSTRUCTIVISM FOR SOVIET CHILDREN] Nas mnogo [We are many].
Moscow: OGIZ-Molodaia gvardiia, 1932. Octavo (16 × 13.5 cm). Original staple-stitched chromolithographed wrappers; 15 pp. of chromolithograph illustrations and text. Light soil to wrappers; small tear to bottom of wrapper not affecting text; rust to staple; else very good. Item #55768
A colorful first book by the children’s author and radio broadcaster Margarita Ivensen (born Simonovich; 1903–1977), with Constructivist-inspired illustrations by Andrei Brei (1902–1979). Ivensen’s popularity came from her treatment of complex social topics in a simple and compelling manner. In this volume, the young Eremka is overcome by a variety of vehicles, approaching him at diagonals from all directions, until he spots a squad of Pioneers. Joining the critical mass of the squad which claims its right of way on account of their numbers allows Eremka to finally cross the street to make it to the shop to buy a notebook. Ivensen would publish several children’s books, but went on to write primarily for children’s radio, an important new medium for Soviet children, as well as to compose lyrics for numerous children’s songs.
The illustrations for the volume were done by Andrei Brei, a graphic artist with avant-gardist tendencies and a prolific illustrator of children’s books. Brei studied at VKhUTEMAS with the master of book illustration Nikolai Kupreianov, and would devote over fifty years to illustrating children’s books for “Detgiz” and “Molodaia gvardiia” as well as the children’s magazines “Murzilka”, “Pioner” and “Veselye kartinki”. Much like Ivensen’s work in radio, Brei also worked in new media, making illustrations for children’s filmstrips. In this medium he is credited with innovations such as placing the text within the drawing, rather than in a separate text section at the bottom of the image, which he also attempts in this volume. This book is not in Lur’e collection (Kniga dlia detei 1881–1939, Moscow: ULEI, 2009), which features another book by Brei (no. 503).
As of June 2026, KVK, OCLC show four copies in North America.
Price: €1,250.00