Flammarion C. Popular Astronomy (Populyarnaya astronomiya), 1939. In Russian

Фламмарион К.
Популярная астрономия.
Редакция и дополнения профессора Б. А. Воронцова-Вельяминова.
Москва-Ленинград: Детиздат ЦК ВЛКСМ, 1939.
299 с., илл.; обычный формат. В твёрдом издательском переплёте.
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Flammarion C.
Popular Astronomy (Populyarnaya astronomiya).
Edited and supplemented by Professor B. A. Vorontsov-Velyaminov.
Moscow-Leningrad: Detizdat of the Central Committee of the VLKSM, 1939.
299 pp., ill.; standard format. In publisher’s hardcover.

This is the famous 1939 Soviet edition of Camille Flammarion’s classic “Astronomie populaire” — one of the most influential and widely read popular astronomy books ever written. The French astronomer, writer and visionary Camille Flammarion (1842–1925) made astronomy accessible and poetic for millions of readers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This Russian version was carefully edited and substantially supplemented by the prominent Soviet astronomer and popularizer Boris Aleksandrovich Vorontsov-Velyaminov (1909–1994), who added up-to-date data, Soviet discoveries and explanations reflecting the state of astronomy in the late 1930s. Richly illustrated with drawings, diagrams, photographs and classic Flammarion-style romantic engravings, the book covers the Solar System, stars, nebulae, the Milky Way, comets, variable stars, the origin of the Universe and much more — all in vivid, engaging language suitable for young readers and general audiences. Published by Detgiz (Детиздат) — the main Soviet children’s and youth publishing house — in the year just before World War II, this hardcover edition is a beautiful example of late-1930s Soviet popular science book production. Highly collectible for enthusiasts of history of astronomy, vintage popular science, Flammarioniana, Soviet pre-war illustrated books and works by Vorontsov-Velyaminov.