wiedler.ch

book (design) story #553

moshe vorobeichic, s. chnéour:
ein ghetto im osten – wilna

orell füssli verlag, zürich/leipzig (schaubücher 27), 1931
size: 19 x 13 cm
photographer: moi ver
designer: (unknown)

another example of orell füssli's "schaubücher" (sb), a series of photo books with laminated board covers in a standardised new typography design, see also books 95, 173 or 96.

sb edition number 27 is a standout and the most sought after: it is a photo documentation of the jewish ghetto of vilnius, the lithuanian city which is called "wilna" in german.

the introduction was written by zalman shneour (1887-1959), a jewish (yiddish) writer who lived in vilnius and later in paris.

the book is famous for its photos by moshe raviv-vorobeichic (1904-1995), better known as moi ver.

moi ver had studied at the bauhaus in dessau, and later worked in paris before finally settling in palestine.

the experimental photos and photomontages reveal a bauhaus influence.

a unique feauture of this "schaubuch": ...

... the whole book is bilingual, ...

... german and hebrew!

the hebrew version starts at the "back".

a stunning book about a fascinating world which was wiped out by the nazis in ww2.