Our Notes & References

One of the earliest primers with new orthography, explaining the changes. An attractive example of this fragile first and only edition, published in the aftermath of the Russian revolution.

Very rare in the West: OCLC locates only one copy (Miami University); we could trace only an incomplete copy at auction in recent decades.

The Soviet government’s decrees of 23 December 1917 and 10 October 1918 announced the transition to a new spelling system, creating an urgent need to reprint alphabet books and literacy aids for the nation. One of the first primers to adopt the new spelling was this Rose ABC, where the author Evgeniia Soloveva (1870–1945) clarifies the shift by listing the letters removed from the alphabet and providing comparative texts in both the old and new spelling. This particularity may explain the scarcity of this ABC, a short-lasting publication as soon only the new orthography had to be taught.

Illustrated by the artist and book illustrator Vladimir Konashevich (1888–1963), the Rose ABC closely follows his other, famous ABC book, Azbuka v risunkakh Konashevicha, published just a few months earlier in 1918. The chromolithograph covers of both works are very similar, the Rose ABC showing another central vignette, where a bouquet of flowers in a basket filled with letters replaces the earlier design featuring a bundle of animals with letters. The contents and internal designs are however completely different, showing Konashevich’s versatility.

Unlike, and possibly thanks to, Konashevich’s first ABC, which only featured large images paired with single words, Rose ABC was designed for children already familiar with letters: individual words at the beginning gradually expand into short texts, becoming more advanced towards the end of the book. It shows Soloveva’s experience: she was a prolific Russian educator and author of manuals on speech development, reading, and primers, including editions for the blind. Her widely used textbooks remained in print until 1970.

For the almost 40 illustrations, Konashevich chose here soft pencil drawings, which are lively and expressive, showing animals and plants, rural landscapes, daily life at home and school, and children’s games, all integrated into the text. Some images depict proverbs, sayings, and fables. The first fifteen pages of text were skilfully hand-lettered.

Much like the orthographic changes, the illustrations in Rose ABC serve as a striking reflection of the social shifts in Russia. On one hand, they are clear and direct, in keeping with Konashevich’s guiding principle that a child should understand an image at first glance. At the same time, they still depict ‘pre-revolutionary’ clothing and a way of life set in comparatively spacious surroundings—inhabited by single families (rather than the communal flats that became common later). The illustrations also reflect the elegance of works by artists from the World of Art group, whose aesthetic influenced Konashevich, and which he officially joined in 1922.

Konashevich’s two ABCs mark his first venture into book illustration and children’s literature. For the important and once high-quality publisher Golike and Vilborg, however, they were among the last productions, as the publishing house was nationalised that same year, in 1918.