Die Indigosole auf dem Gebiete der Zeugdruckerei

Frankfurt am Main; Basel: I.G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft; Durand & Huguenin A.G., 1930. First edition. Hardcover. g to vg. Quarto. 79pp. Original black cloth with white-stamped lettering on front cover and spine. This scarce catalogue published by I.G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft, the world's largest chemical cartel, from its founding in Germany in 1925 until its dissolution by the Allies after World War II*, presents an overview of the principal applications of the Indigosol dyes used in textile printing (Zeugdruckerei, Stoffdruckerei). Divided into four sections (A. Baumwolldruck. B. Kunstseidendruck. C. Seidendruck. D. Wolldruck), this volume contains 125 mounted textile samples in rich vibrant colors. The samples have different patterns and designs, with various sizes measuring from 4 1/2" x 6 1/4" to 3/4" x 1 1/4". Out of the original 126 mounted textile samples, only one is lacking (page 39). Moderate rubbing on corners. Minor staining along fore-edge of the first three leaves (not affecting text or samples). Age toning to outer edges of interior pages. Text in German. Binding in overall good, interior in good to good+, samples in very good condition. * During World War II, IG Farben established a synthetic oil and rubber plant at Auschwitz in order to take advantage of slave labor; the company also conducted drug experiments on live inmates. After the war several company officials were convicted of war crimes (9 being found guilty of plunder and spoliation of property in occupied territory and 4 being found guilty of imposing slave labor and inhumane treatment on civilians and prisoners of war). In 1945 IG Farben came under Allied authority; its industries (along with those of other German firms) were to be dismantled or dismembered with the stated intent "to render impossible any future threat to Germany's neighbors or to world peace." In the western zones of Germany, however, especially as the Cold War advanced, this disposition toward liquidation lessened. Eventually the Western powers and West Germans agreed to divide IG Farben into just three independent units: Hoechst, Bayer, and BASF (the first two being refounded in 1951; BASF in 1952).