Di Idishe Velt, a literarish-gezelshaftlikhe manatshrift [The Jewish World, a literary-social monthly], issues 1-6 of the journal edited by B. Musicant. St. Petersburg: A. Meirowitz, 1912. Yiddish.
The first six issues (issues 1-4 and a double issue – 5-6) of the journal "Di Idishe Velt", one of most influential and important Yiddish journals prior to World War I.
The issues contain opinion columns and articles, literary criticism, poems, plays and stories, by the best Jewish writers and creators of the period, including: Shimon Dubnow, Shalom Asch, S. An-sky, Nathan Birenbaum, Saul Ginzburg, Y.L. Peretz, David Bergelson, and others.
The issues contain two illustrations by Ephraim Moses Lilien ("Di Hofnung" and "The Prophet Jeremiah"), two pictures of sculptures by Mark Antokolsky ("Spinoza" and "Ivan the Terrible") and portraits of Nahum Sokolow and Chaim Zelig Slonimski, and more.
The present issues were all printed in St. Petersburg. In January 1913, the journal's headquarters moved to Vilnius, where the journal was titled "Di Judishe Velt", edited by Shmuel Niger (Charney) and printed at Boris Klatzkin's publishing house "Vilner Farlag". In April 1915, as a new law prohibiting the printing of Yiddish journals was enacted, its publishing stopped. A final attempt to revive the journal was made in 1928, in Vilnius, and during the months April to December of that year, nine issues titled "Di Idishe Velt" appeared, edited by Nachman Meisel, Peretz Hirschbein and Israel Joshua Zinger.
Issues no. 3 and 4 contain the same text and the same pictures and illustrations, in a slightly different order (presumably, the issue was reprinted after being banned by the Russian government).
Five booklets, approx. 25 cm. Good condition. Stains and minor blemishes. Stamps. Trimmed margins (slightly affecting the text of several leaves). New bindings with gilt lettering to spine. All but one are without the original covers.