Small format for a table calendar, 8" x 5 ½". Printed on thin low-quality paper. Published by OGIZ, State Political Literature Publishers, Moscow. Circulation 1,000,000 copies. One central staple provides binding, reinforced with a length of paper tape. The inside of the front cover features the owner's stamped ex libris, an owl perched on a book and the owner's last name BOROVENNIKOV under the graphic. The ink used for the stamp appears to be regular purple ink used for writing with quill pens everywhere, from schools to offices to homes. In 1945 however, ink was probably not so easy to obtain, hence the "diluted" look of the stamp. The "front" side of each page features the dates of the month on the right with some patriotic graphic on the left and a list of ideologically significant dates of this particular month. The "back" side of the page features propaganda language related to the significant dates of this month. Multiple notations, handwritten in ink and pencil add character and excite curiosity. January dates are superscripted with sequential numbers, clearly corresponding to another month. In May we find out that the owner got electricity back in his or her dwelling Some random dates are crossed out or circled. On the "back" side of September the word "KURSK" is spelled out using a calligraphy quill and a ruler, using the same watered-down purple ink. Color pencils were tried out on the October page. Was it done by a child? Or was the owner just happy to acquire a set of color pencils?. All these personal touches, these traces of a life past, add such a sublime air of mystery. The year when WW2 ended, for one person or family, through the pages of a small well-worn brittle paper calendar.

Overall, the calendar is in good condition. The edges show some wear and the paper is appropriately age-toned but the text and graphics are bright and clear. Soiling is minimal. The back cover shows evidence of what appears to be some tape which used to affix the calendar to a wall or a bulletin board.

Please note that the pen in our photo is for size reference.