Rare 1966 Soviet Book: The Song of Arsen – Avto Bandzeladze | Tsar to Soviet Books

Rare 1966 Soviet Georgian Folk Masterpiece: "The Song of Arsen" (არსენას ლექსი)

For collectors of Georgian folklore, graphic arts, and mid-century Soviet book illustration, this 1966 original Soviet hardcover edition is a celebrated work of art. Published in Tbilisi by the Nakaduli Youth Publishing House (ნაკადული / Детюниздат Грузинской ССР), The Song of Arsen (არსენას ლექსი / Песнь об Арсене) presents the famous 19th-century folk poem commemorating the Georgian folk hero Arsen Odzelashvili.

Illustrated by acclaimed Georgian graphic master Avto Bandzeladze (ავთო ბანძელაძე), this large-format volume combines modernist woodcut/linocut printmaking with traditional Georgian manuscript layout traditions.

Expressive Modernist Linocuts & Illuminated Georgian Calligraphy

Bandzeladze's design transforms the folk epic into a visual masterpiece:

• Linocut Printmaking: Full-page black-and-white relief prints capturing the emotion and physical presence of Arsen Odzelashvili, rustic village feasts, and dramatic mountain encounters.

• Illuminated Manuscript Layout: Pages feature hand-lettered Georgian Mkhedruli calligraphic scripts printed in red and black inks on warm yellow blocks, framed by floral motifs and manuscript tailpieces.

• 1960s Georgian Graphic Art: A landmark example of the "Sixties" (шестидесятники) art movement in Soviet Georgia, merging national heritage with modern expressionism.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: არსენას ლექსი / Песнь об Арсене (The Song of Arsen)

• Artist / Illustrator: Avto Bandzeladze (ავთანდილ [ავთო] ბანძელაძე / А. Бандзеладзе)

• Publisher: "Nakaduli" Publishing House (Tbilisi)

• Publication Date: 1966 (Tbilisi, Georgian SSR)

• Language: Georgian (with Russian catalog summary)

• Binding: Original publisher's grey cloth-backed hardcover

• Print Run / Circulation: 30,000 copies (Тираж 30000)

• Classification: Georgian Folklore / Soviet Linocut Illustration / 1960s Caucasian Book Design

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: Original grey hardcover boards are clean, flat, and structurally firm with minimal shelf wear along extremities.

• Binding Integrity: Exceptionally firm, square, and tight text block with intact hinges.

• Page & Plate Quality: Interior pages, linocut illustrations, and hand-lettered calligraphic spreads are clean and completely legible, showing uniform light cream age-toning. Displays small period cataloging notations on the Russian colophon page. Free from missing leaves or modern markings.