[Mayakovsky about America]. Mayakovsky ob Amerike. 

Compiled by V. Katanyan.

Moskva, Sovetskij pisatel, 1948. 
12mo, 165 pp.

In original wrappers with photomontage. The photo illustration graces the front cover, portraying Mayakovsky posing on the Brooklyn Bridge. 
In good condition, worn to cover edges and spine, owner mark to text in pencil. 

First edition. An unusual book of poems published at the onset of the Cold War, yet designed reminiscent of the finest Soviet editions of the 1930s. One of 15 000 copies printed.

In 1925, Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), a prominent futurist poet, envisioned a journey around the world, but it never materialized. He never made it, spending three months in the USA but didn't even reach the western coast of America. The outcome of this journey was a manuscript of essays titled 'Moe Otkrytie Ameriki' ('My Discovery of America') and a cycle of poems. This edition features essays interwoven with poems. 
Vasily Katanyan (1902-1980), a literary critic, Mayakovsky's biographer, and a member of the Left Art Front (LEF), meticulously prepared a substantial collection of the poet's texts for publication. Anatolii Tarasenkov (1909-1956), a renowned bibliophile and an authority on Soviet poetry of the 20th century, served as the editor of this book.