ON THE EDGE OF THE KNIFE — COLLECTING SOVIET CHILDREN’S BOOKS 1930–1933

Abstract

This paper looks at a private collection of Soviet children’s books collected during 1930–33 by a young couple of German architects, and its subsequent donation to the national library at Brera in Milan. The 257 book, which include 85 in Ukrainian and several in Yiddish, provide a snapshot of the Soviet Union at a time of transition, from the euphoric collaborations of the NEP to the purges during Stalin’s Terror.

Keywords: collection, children’s books, Soviet Union, education, literacy, Ukraine, Yiddish