Poslovitsy, pogovorki i zagadki Russkogo naroda (Proverbs, Sayings, and Riddles of the Russian People) [Illustrated by Dmitrii Moor (Orlov) / Personal copy of Lieutenant Colonel Victor de Guinzbourg]

Moskva/Leningrad: Gosudarstvennoe izdatelstvo detskoi literatury, 1948. Hardcover. First edition; 11 1/4" x 8 3/4"; pp. [2], 3-48, [4]; cloth-backed, illustrated paper over boards; light age-toning; several closed cuts and nicks to edges of boards; a few leaves with brittle and chipped corners; illustrated in black & white by Dmitrii Moor; bookplate of Lieutenant Colonel Victor de Guinzbourg to front board verso; overall in very good condition.A remarkable and quite uncommon children's book of proverbs and riddles, it was published in the aftermath of the Second World War and illustrated by a true master of graphic art and one of the pioneers of the Soviet political poster. Dmitrii Stakhievich Orlov - Moor (1883 - 1946) did not have a formal art education. He began his career as a caricaturist for several liberal journals, including the satirical magazine Budilnik. Eventually, his striking posters of the Revolution,Civil War, and later, the Second World War, usually rendered as black-and-white ink drawings, would become milestones of the era. Although best known for his graphic design, Moor also worked for various magazines, created movie posters, and illustrated several books, including the current one, which was published posthumously, 2 years after his death.The previous owner of the book, Victor de Guinzbourg (c1906 - 1976) was the son of the owner of the Russo-Asiatic Bank, the latter being responsible for arranging the financing for the Trans-Siberian Railroad. He was also a close cousin of Sigmund Freud on his mother's side. Escaping after the Revolution, his family fled first to Germany and then the United States. Victor joined the US Army and worked as an Allied Intelligence agent during WWII and as an interpreter for the UN thereafter. He was one of the very first to gain access to Eagles Nest.