A Journey Through the Lands of Pidhaitsi: A Photo Album.New York; Paris; Sydney; Toronto, 1980

Journey Through the Lands of Pidhaitsi: photo album / materials collected and edited by Vasyl Papiž in collaboration with the editorial board.

New York; Paris; Sydney; Toronto: General Committee of the Pidhaitsi Ukrainians, Detroit, USA; publication of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, 1980. — 165 p.: illus., portraits. — (Ukrainian Archive; vol. XXIV a). — 24 × 17 cm. Print run not stated.

In a dark blue cloth binding: the title is rendered in gold handwriting, with a gold illustration of a basket with a sheaf and fruit beneath it, and the word “photo album” at the bottom; smooth spine. The binding is clean, the corners are slightly rubbed, and the cloth is free from stains and surface wear. The block is firm, the binding intact, and the sheets are not loose; the coated paper is white, and the reproductions are clear. On the reverse of the title page is a purple stamp “Ukrainian Museum-Archive, Cleveland” with the handwritten registration number 23112. Condition: very good.

The book has historical and cultural value and is of collector’s interest as a regional commemorative book with archival provenance.

INFORMATION

A commemorative book of the Pidhaitsi district in the Ternopil region, compiled as a photo album: views of towns and villages, churches and cathedrals, the castle ruins of Pidhaitsi, schools, “Prosvita” reading rooms, cooperatives, sports and fire societies, weddings and funerals, group photographs of gymnasium students, clergy, and public figures. Each photograph is accompanied by a caption with surnames, making the publication also a directory of the post-war Pidhaitsi diaspora. Separate sections are devoted to liberation struggles, pre-war public life, and the dispersal of the community after 1944.

The materials were collected and edited by Vasyl Papiž; the book was published by the General Committee of the Pidhaitsi Ukrainians in Detroit — one of the many regional associations established in the American and Canadian diaspora with the aim of preserving the memory of their native lands. Such committees collected photographs and memories from emigrants around the world, which explains the extensive list of publication locations: New York — Paris — Sydney — Toronto.

The volume was published as XXIV a in the “Ukrainian Archive” series by the Shevchenko Scientific Society. Regional commemorative books were printed in small print runs by order of the communities and were not available for general sale, so they are rarely found outside private collections; this copy comes from the Ukrainian Museum-Archive in Cleveland.