The bolsheviks in Russia often assert that in the business of publishing books, they have already surpassed all capitalist countries. According to them, book publishing is declining in all the capitalist countries, whereas in Russia, it is increasing rapidly.

They point, with particular pride, to the rapid increase of books published in the national languages, other than Russian. This fact, they claim, reflects the cultural development and complete cultural independence of all the national minorities inhabiting the territory of the USSR.

There is an interesting and informative article on this subject in the Bulletin of Prokopovich's Economic Bureau. The figures quoted there contradict all bolshevik statements to the effect that prior to their revolution, there were no publications printed in the languages of the national minorities (other than Russian).

Thus, for example, in 1910, there were published in Russia, 29,057 books (titles), out of which almost one-quarter (twenty-three per cent) were published in the languages of minority groups, and about three-quarters, in Russian. In general, during the prewar years, the number of books (titles) published in the languages of the national minorities constituted twenty-one per cent of all the books published. Under the bolsheviks' rule, during the early years, this percentage fell. Thus, while old Russia, in 1912, printed books in forty-five languages, the national publishing concerns created by Stalin "published volumes in only fifteen languages." Later on, however, Stalin caught up and surpassed old Russia in this respect. But how was all this accomplished?

Up to 1929, there were published, in Russia, fewer books in Russian than there were prior to the war. In the years following 1929, the increase in the number of books published was insignificant. In 1931, there were published only 7,022 more books in Russian than in 1913. During this period the number of books published in languages other than Russian, grew from 7,377 titles, in 1913, to 19,819 titles, in 1931. The increase of publication 3in languages other than Russian, therefore, took place at the expense of Russian publications. The Soviet authorities anticipate a very considerable increase in the publication of books designed for the national minorities, as compared with books published in Russian. It is very peculiar that the more backward the nationality is, the greater is the increase in the number of books to be published.

A majority of the books published, not only in the minority languages but in Russian as well, are theoretical and propaganda publications of Marxist philosophy; some are the publications of the organizations of aerial and chemical defense and the trade unions; others are decrees, resolutions, rules and regulations promulgated by the Central Committee of the Communist party, and of other such printed material.

If we were to throw all this refuse, printed in millions of copies, out of the Soviet calculations, the Bolsheviks might even fall behind prewar Russia, so far as book publishing is concerned. The figures indicate an increase of 4political, or, to put it simply, Marxist-political refuse, as compared with the prewar Russia. This consists of political pamphlets, folders, leaflets, handbills etc.

Thus, during the period of 1929-1933 inclusive, there were published, in various minority languages, not less than nine hundred and thirty thousand volumes by Marx and Engels, six million, six hundred and seventy-two thousand volumes by Lenin. By millions of such books the Bolsheviks feed the barely literate and often nomadic people of their far-flung domain.

Moreover, we must always remember that Bolshevik figures on the production in the publishing industry include writings by Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev and other bolsheviks, who are now classed as counterrevolutionaries. Their writings were published in millions of copies when these leaders were at the apex of their political careers. At the present time, their writings are taboo, so far as reading them is concerned--perhaps they are burned--but they are not excluded from the Bolshevik statistics.