457 - Russia - Siberia

Russia - Siberia Hekker, Naum Leontevych On the Characteristics of the Physical Type of the Yakuts. An Anthropological Sketch. With 4 original silver gelatin photographs (approx. 8.5 x 5.5 cm). Irkutsk, Makushin, 1896. 1 leaf (title page), 90, 12 (table) pp., 1 leaf (errata), 1 plate. Original binding with typographic title on the cover (back cover partially detached at the spine, spine and corners with small losses, finger stains and light foxing along the edges). First edition of the very first publication on the anthropology of the Yakuts of Siberia. - Significant first report of the Sibiriakov Expedition to Yakutia (1894–96), authored by the Russian scholar Naum Hecker (Russian: Gekker, 1861–1920). Hecker, who had been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in 1881 due to political activities and exiled to Siberia, acquired profound knowledge of the region and its languages there, which is why he was commissioned in 1888 by the expedition’s initiator, the industrialist, patron, and later monk Innokenti Sibiryakov, to conduct field research on the Yakuts and investigate their involvement in the planned gold mining operations. Hecker’s report provided the first anthropometrically precise data on the Yakuts (presented in a 12-page tabular appendix) and is also notable for its early original photographs of two men and one woman (mounted on the last, cardboard-backed page). - Title page and reverse side of the front cover bear a stamped owner’s monogram (“SO”). The thin machine-made paper is slightly browned throughout; the last few leaves have minor water stains on the lower outer margin and bottom margin. Overall, a solidly preserved copy of this extremely rare work, which is very scarce on the market and has not been found by us at auctions. Russia. - First edition of the very first publication ever on the anthropology of the Yakuts of Siberia. Bound in the original wrappers with a typographic cover title (rear cover partially detached at the rear joint; spine and corners with minor flaws; margins partly finger-stained and showing shelf wear). - A significant initial report from the Sibiryakov Expedition to Yakutia (1894–96), authored by the Russian scholar Naum Hecker (Russian: Gekker, 1861–1920). Hecker, who had been sentenced to ten years of hard labor and deportation to Siberia in 1881 due to his political activities, acquired profound knowledge of the region, its indigenous peoples, and their languages during his time there. Consequently, in 1888, he was commissioned by the expedition’s initiator—the industrialist, patron, and future monk Innokenti Sibiryakov—to conduct field research on the Yakuts and to investigate their potential acceptance of the planned gold-mining operations. Hecker’s report provided the first anthropometrically precise data on the Yakuts (presented in a 12-page appendix with tables) and is further distinguished by the inclusion of 6 early original silver gelatin photographs (approx. 8.5 x 5.5 cm) of two men and one woman, mounted on the final cardboard leaf. — The title page and the verso of the front cover bear a stamped ownership monogram (“SO”). The thin machine-made paper is lightly browned throughout; the final leaves show minor water stains in the lower outer and bottom margins. Overall, a well-preserved copy of this extremely rare item—a work of great scarcity on the market—for which we have been unable to find any auction records. This lot is subject to standard taxation. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union. This work is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints, and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.