Description

Oblong 8°. 12 numbers in 10 volumes bound together, all with mimeographed text with illustrations in text, printed recto only. No. 1: 11 pp., [1]. No. 2: 13 pp., [1]. No. 3: 16 pp. No. 4: 15 pp., [1]. No. 5: 14 pp. No. 6-7: 22 pp. No. 8-9: 25 pp. with a printed illustration “In Memoriam” on a glossy paper as a title page. No. 10: 14 pp. No 11: 14 pp. No 12: 14 pp. Bound with original green illustrated wrappers and a blank green leaf in a contemporary original green linen binding with red printed title on the cover, dark red endpapers (text in a good clean condition with tiny tears in margins and very light foxing on some pages, binding with light foxing and water-staining and slightly scuffed on the edges, endpapers with surface scratches in the inner part, otherwise in a good condition).

This extremely rare series of illustrated mimeographed magazines was printed in 1936 by the scouting club of Maribor, Slovenia, which was a part of the Yugoslav Scouts. The illustrated text includes medical articles, reports on outings, instructions how to survive in the woods, build tents, make knots, as well as short theatre plays, scouting stories, poems. The magazines also include reports of the club and announcements of the main Yugoslav association. Number 8-9 is dedicated to two boy scouts, who lost lives while mountaineering in the Alps, with a first-hand report on the accident.

Scouting was very popular in certain segments of society in pre-World War II Yugoslavia.  The movement was favoured by the youth of the affluent, urbanised bourgeoisie, as well as some people of a conservative, religious disposition.  The Scouts’ values of order, self-reliance, community and patriotism appealed to these elements of the population. 

However, the Scouting movement was deeply disfavoured by the Yugoslavian Socialist regime that assumed control over the country in 1945, upon the end of World War II.  While many of the values of scouting were ironically similar to those of the Partisans, Scouting was seem as inextricably linked to conservative elements of society, and was additionally a potential competitor to the Socialist’s youth movements.

Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, scouting has had a renaissance in many cities.

The magazine is very rare. We could only find one other complete 1936 series in libraries worldwide (National and University Library, Ljubljana) and one incomplete set (City Library, Ljubljana). The magazine was also published partly in 1937 and is only preserved in an uncomplete series in the National and University Library, Ljubljana.

References: OCLC 755124260.