FROM a HISTORY of MODERN POCKET CALENDARS of RUSSIA

In the beginning of the nineteen nineties, Russia was flooded by a steady flow of calendars. Each firm and shop considered it their duty to issue advertising pocket calendars. Certainly, you can see that they represent a cheap and effective kind of advertising. This does not consider those pocket calendars issued specially for sale to collectors and children; such calendars with cats, dogs and autos (basically, for some reason these three themes) were issued in hundreds of kinds and images.

However, in Russia everything always ends up “from the feet to the head”. First of all, in the beginning of the nineties, many firms had begun actively ordering advertising pocket calendars abroad in large circulations, subsequently representing the cost for them to government tax bodies as charges against advertising even though the calendars themselves were traded for income.

The free distribution of advertising calendars, that is usual practice all over the world in our country had ended up with an unusual continuation. Soon after their distribution, some part of these advertising calendars appeared for sale on the counters of newspaper and book stands. It is impossible without humor to look at these after an election, as selling advertising calendars of the candidates for deputies or mayors, unimportantly, whether they won or not.

By the way, some words about these political advertising calendars: pocket pre-election calendars advertising political figures, parties or pre-election blocks are a kind, completely new to our country. For the first time, a small quantity of such calendars was printed on 1989 before choices in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Only by little then has come in the “head” to take advantage of this kind of advertising. Of course, this was unusual for Russia. Now only a few candidates miss this magnificent and inexpensive kind of advertising.

Calendars with political advertising quickly became popular with collectors becoming the most popular theme for collecting. It is interesting, that this theme, by virtue of its popularity, has found, continuation with calendars which parody political advertising, on the one hand, and calendars with political anti-advertising, on the other hand. Under the latter category can be found releases which would seem to be a political party or one of its figures, but so presented that the political image would fail by the advertising.

Calendars of completely new organizations appeared within the last ten years which earlier had been confidential and classified.

Now, the issue of new pocket calendars grows each year. It is enough to say, that in Moscow alone and only for the year 2000, that there were already known about 20000 kinds by the end of January

Calendars issued for all of the existence of the USSR and in all regions of the country were no more than 100.000 kinds. Of course, the largest part now a days are issued for sale, Such calendars, as a rule are beautiful, but not interesting for collectors. However, practically any calendar, especially advertising, in due course becomes interesting, as a monument of the epoch which it represents. Postal stamps issued, as a rule for anniversaries, seldom reflect the momentary shape of the country while every pocket calendar is a child of the year in which it was issued.

The calendars of political advertising from the first half of the nineties already are now interesting from a historical point of view. For example, calendars of the election block "People" (elections to first Duma) which broke up, having had time only to order pocket calendars. These hadn’t been printed; however, three samples were found in the dust of a printing house and have gotten to collectors.

Thus, pocket calendars as a subject of advertising, reflect their own time and, with passing years become a small part of our history.

Much we can see and determine from old calendars. It is our history, and sometimes this history is not flattering to Russia. Subjects of perfumery and cosmetics, costumes and clothes, automobiles and planes, at last are simple domestic subjects of a life for those years. We can see, how the critical moments of our country were reflected in pocket calendars and we can find out about transitions of the country from one calendar systems, whether it be Gregorian calendar (" new style ") or “Five Days Week”. All is Interesting- cosmetics of the twenties, airplanes of the forties, radio receivers of the fifties, and political candidates of the nineties.

Even text without any figure sometimes is interesting to us at present because it carries a message from bygone years. Certainly, not all calendars are so informative. But even the simplest of calendars issued decades ago, inform of the most important or essences of the past and the spirit a time which irrevocably has left.