Vintage 1987 Soviet Book: Applique & Paper Art – M. A. Gusakova | Tsar to Soviet Books

Classic 1987 Soviet Craft Manual: "Appliqué" by M. A. Gusakova

For elementary art educators, craft hobbyists, and collectors of vintage Soviet pedagogical publications, this 1987 original Soviet hardcover edition is a comprehensive guide to paper collage and applied design. Published in Moscow by Prosveshchenie (Издательство «Просвещение»), Appliqué (Аппликация) was authored by arts educator M. A. Gusakova as an official textbook for kindergarten teachers and pedagogy colleges.

Bound in a cloth-backed orange hardcover with a stylized floral motif, this third edition covers the historical roots of appliqué along with practical classroom templates.

Folk Art Heritage, Geometric Paper Craft & Early Childhood Art Projects Gusakova's manual balances historical craft contexts with classroom execution:

• Historical Origins in Nomadic Craft: Examines ancient applied arts, tracing leather and felt work from the Pazyryk kurgans of the Altai (preserved in the State Hermitage Museum), Kalmyk and Kyrgyz saddle blankets, Bashkir geometric ornament, and shamanic ceremonial wear.

• Geometric & Symmetrical Cutting: Demonstrates precision techniques for circle-folding, radial star cutouts, multi-fold paper chains, and silhouette cutouts (вырезание на глаз).

• Story & Holiday Compositions: Complete project workflows for children's seasonal cards (such as March 8 International Women's Day cards), winter outdoor scenes («На прогулке»), space age exploration panels, and conical figures (roosters, dolls, woodland hares).

• Mixed Media & Color Harmony: Instructions on combining papers, felt, leather remnants, birch bark, straw, and pressed botanicals with gouache and ink detailing.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Аппликация (Appliqué)

• Author: M. A. Gusakova (М. А. Гусакова)

• Edition: 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded

• Publisher: "Prosveshchenie" Publishing House (Москва)

• Publication Date: 1987 (Moscow, USSR)

• Language: Russian

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

• Page Count: 128+ pages with color photo-plate inserts and instructional line drawings

• Classification: Soviet Art Pedagogy / Papercraft & Applied Decorative Arts / Folk Craft History

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: Original cloth-backed orange boards are clean, flat, and rigid with bright cover printing and light shelf rubbing at corner tips.

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

• Page & Plate Quality: Interior leaves, cutting diagrams, and glossy color inserts are clean and unmarked, exhibiting uniform light cream age-toning typical of late-1980s Soviet educational paper stocks. Free from child coloring, scribbles, marginal notation, or library stamps.