Stalin: On the Sixtieth Anniversary of His Birth (Stalin: K shestidesyatiletiyu so dnya rozhdeniya), 1940. In Russian.

Сталин. К шестидесятилетию со дня рождения.
Москва : Издательство «Правда», 1940.
387 с. : ил. Издательский ледериновый переплет, формат 23,2×15 см. Состояние: утрата портрета И. В. Сталина перед титульным листом и одной иллюстрации между стр. 256–257.
***
Stalin. On the Sixtieth Anniversary of His Birth.
Moscow: Pravda Publishing House, 1940.
387 pp.: ill. Publisher's leatherette (lederin) binding, 23.2 x 15 cm. Condition: lacking the frontispiece portrait of Stalin following the title page and one additional illustration between pages 256 and 257. In Russian.

This 1940 volume is a quintessential monument to the Soviet cult of personality, published to commemorate Joseph Stalin's 60th birthday (officially celebrated in December 1939). Released by Pravda, the central organ of the Communist Party, the book is a luxurious celebratory compendium designed to demonstrate the absolute consolidation of Stalin's power following the turbulent 1930s. It features a collection of panegyric articles, speeches, and biographical essays from high-ranking party officials and cultural figures, all praising Stalin as the "Great Architect of Communism" and the direct successor to Lenin's legacy.
The book was originally produced with high aesthetic standards, intended as a prestige gift for party members and state institutions. It was richly illustrated with high-quality plates documenting Stalin’s life, his role in the Revolution, and his leadership during the first Five-Year Plans. This specific copy is noted for the loss of the frontispiece portrait of Stalin and one interior illustration between pages 256 and 257. In the context of Soviet history, such "losses" or excisions were common during subsequent political shifts—particularly during the de-Stalinization era starting in 1956—when owners often removed images of the former leader to avoid political scrutiny or out of ideological protest.
Despite the missing plates, the text remains a vital primary source for historians. It captures the specialized linguistic style and ideological atmosphere of the "High Stalinist" period, just a year before the Soviet Union’s entry into World War II. For collectors of Soviet political artifacts, historians of propaganda, and bibliophiles interested in the cult of personality, this 1940 Pravda edition represents the pinnacle of pre-war hagiography.