The most recent Russian acquisition in Special Collections is “MIUD” by Vladimir Mayakovsky, written in 1926 and published in 1930 by Gosudarstvennoe izdatel’stvo. It is a short children’s book in verse in the typical Mayakovsky style: bold, dramatic, and categorical.…
Nikolas Issaïev (Nikolai Isaev) is a relatively unknown Russian illustrator and theater artist despite his many exhibitions in the 1920s and into the 1960s, as well as his prolific illustration work and associations with other Russian émigré artists in France,…
Miami University’s history is rich in interesting characters, legends, and traditions. Few will argue that André de Saint-Rat wasn’t one of them. His teaching methods acquired mythological qualities over the years and some still remember standing outside of his classroom…
The National Alliance of Russian Solidarists (Natsional’no/Narodno Trudovoi Soiuz rossiiskikh solidaristov), or NTS, is one of the least known anti-bolshevik organizations behind one of the most influential movements. Formed as a youth group in Belgrade in 1930, it sustained many…
Many people associate Special Collections with old, rare books. Some know that they don’t have to be old to qualify, but still expect to see books here. I, however, never know what I’ll find in our collection: money, statuettes, novelty…
Ex libris as an art form has been around for at least six centuries. It usually takes the shape of an ornate paper bookplate pasted on the inside of the cover and identifying the owner of the book in an…
