Ehrenburg, Ilya [Spain. Vol. 1: UHP: Until July 18, 1936. Vol. 2: ¡No pasarán!: The Civil War. July–December 1936]. Ispaniia. T.1. UHP: Do 18 iulia 1936 goda. T.2. ¡No pasarán!: Grazhdanskaia voina. Iul’–dekabr’ 1936 goda. 

Book design by Evgenii Goliakhovskii (vol.1), Es and El Lissitzky (vol. 2). 

[Leningrad], OGIZ-Izogiz, 1937. 
4to, vol. 1. 102, [2] pp.,ill.; vol.2. 151, [1] pp., ill. 

In original embossed cloth and modern slipcase. With errata slips. 
In good condition, lightly rubbed to spine and edges, some faint browning, small stain to vol.2. 

The important photobook designed by Lissitzky. The only edition. One of 15 000 copies published. 

This important two-volume photobook on the Spanish Civil War presents the conflict through the lens of renowned photographers, including future founders of Magnum Photos Robert Capa and David ‘Chim’ Seymour, portrait master Hans Namuth, photojournalist Georg Reisner, prominent Catalan photographer Gabriel Casas, and French photographer and cinematographer Eli Lotar. One of the volumes also features the photomontage 'Madrid 1936. ¡No pasarán! – ¡Pasaremos!' created in 1936 by John Heartfield.
The design of the second volume was created by El Lissitzky (1890–1941), a pivotal figure in both the Russian and Western European avant-garde movements, in collaboration with his wife, Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers (1891–1978) – a German art historian, writer, collector, and prominent patron of the avant-garde. Following Lissitzky’s death, Sophie was deported to Novosibirsk as an ‘enemy foreigner’.
The accompanying essays were written by the celebrated Soviet writer and journalist Ilya Ehrenburg (1891–1967), who played a pivotal role in introducing Spain to Soviet readers. He was one of the first Soviet writers to visit the country in 1926 and went on to write extensively about it. Passionate about Spanish culture, he even learned the language and translated the poetry of Jorge Manrique, Juan Ruiz, and Gonzalo de Berceo into Russian.
In 1936, Ehrenburg returned to Spain as a correspondent for the Soviet newspaper 'Izvestia', this time to cover the unfolding civil war. He not only reported from the front lines but also participated in key cultural events, such as the Second International Writers' Congress in 1937, where he stood alongside André Malraux, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen Spender, and Pablo Neruda.
The Soviet Union had a deep interest in the Spanish Civil War. Although it initially supported the Non-Intervention Pact, the USSR shifted its stance once Germany and Italy openly intervened in support of Franco. In response, the Soviet Union became the primary state supporter of the Republican government. Beyond providing military assistance, the Soviet Union launched an extensive propaganda campaign to bolster the Republican cause. Domestically, propaganda played a key role in shaping public opinion and mobilizing popular support. The Soviet government utilized newspapers, radio broadcasts, films, posters, and books to spread awareness and solidarity. Notably, a 1.5% levy was introduced on workers’ wages to raise funds in aid of the Spanish Republic, and mass demonstrations and solidarity campaigns were organized across the country. This photobook was one of the elements of that broader cultural and ideological effort.

OCLC locates two complete copies of this two-volume edition in the United States - one at the Getty Library and another at New York University. Florida International University holds only the second volume.