Measures 7" x 9", leatherette-wrapped hard cover, 173 pp., published by Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow. Contains a full-page photo portrait of Stalin and his facsimile signature.

In excellent condition. It appears that Stalin's portrait is an insert glued to the title page, and it shows partial separation at the top - rather easily repairable, if desired. Other than that, there is no significant wear, just mild foxing to the fore edge of the textblock. The binding staples are somewhat rusted but are tight and strong. The back cover shows minimal shelf wear and two small bumps at the top and bottom edge, not too obvious or detractive. The woven bookmark tape appears to be original, matches the color of the cover perfectly, and is in excellent condition.

The goal of this book, published in English, should be clear to anyone familiar with the political and military situation in 1940. Besides the aspect of appealing to the communists and socialists of Europe and the United States, Stalin's public image needed thorough whitewashing after the Red Terror, Hladomor famine, the Great Purge of the late 1930s, etc., etc. And that's what the author did in this book, each page of which is dripping with whitewash.