Description

Small 4°. Various paginations, with colour and black illustrations in text. All issues with original illustrated covers, some missing back wrappers, bound in a contemporary brown cloth binding. Bound with some additional broadsides.

35 issues, bound in one volume: 12, 1956; 11, 1956; 8-10, 1956; 6-7, 1956; 5, 1956; 4, 1956; 3, 1956; 2, 1956; 1, 1956; 12, 1955; 11, 1955; 8-10, 1955; 5, 1955; 6-7, 1955; 4, 1955; 3, 1955; 2, 1955; 1, 1955; 12, 1957; 8-9, 1957; 6-7, 1957; 4, 1957; 3, 1957; 2, 1957; 1, 1957; 1, 1959; 4, 1959; 3, 1959; 11-12, 1958; 8-10, 1958; 6-7, 1958; 5, 1958; 3, 1958; 2, 1958; 1, 1958.

(i. e. complete series from 1955 and 1956. 1957 missing issues 5, 10 and 11. 1958 missing issue 4. 1959 with issues 1, 3 and 4 only).

(Some sporadic annotations and lines, light foxing and age-toning, sporadic title pages with old signatures, tiny tears in margins, some back wrappers missing, binding with small loss of material on the corners and spine, otherwise in a good condition).

The magazine Mekitharian Endanik (The Mekhitarists Family) was printed in Armenian language for Armenian diaspora on the island San Lazzaro in Venice. It contains short educational stories from history, art, Armenian history etc., poems, puzzles

The magazine was printed by the press of the Mekhitarists, a congregation of Benedictine monks of the Armenian Catholic Church, on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice.  The order was founded in Mkhitar Sebastatsi, in 1717, with a goal to nourish the Armenian culture, and mostly preserve the literature under the Ottoman Empire. In the same year, during the tensions between the Ottoman and Venetians, Venice gave an island San Lorenzo to the order, where they established their centre. In the next decades they translated and printed books, pamphlets, prints and maps in Armenian language, meant for export among Armenians around the world. The monastery also collected an important valuable library.