Lot #60: Rare 1946 Latvian DP Camp Trilingual Dictionary – UNRRA Team 76, Kempten (Allgäu)

This is a rare, historically significant copy of Vārdnīca latviešu, angļu un vācu valodām (Volume 1: Latvian – English – German), compiled and published by Jūlijs Lūsis in Kempten (Allgäu), Germany, in March 1946. This fragile pocket dictionary was produced in the immediate aftermath of World War II to serve Latvian refugees—Displaced Persons (DPs)—living in temporary camps in the Allied occupation zones. Item Condition & Features • Format: Paperback / Softcover. • Pagination: Includes an English title page, a Latvian preface (Priekšvārdi) by Jūlijs Lūsis dated March 1946, and alphabetical translation columns (e.g., page 45 shown). • Back Cover Pricing: Printed in pre-reform currency: "Cena RM 9.— Kemptenē / RM 10.— citur" (Price 9 Reichsmarks in Kempten / 10 Reichsmarks elsewhere). • Provenance / Markings: Features a faint, highly interesting ink stamp and a typed/stamped multi-line inscription at the top of the title page reading: "TAUTIEŠU ZIEDOJUMS DRAUDZĪGĀ AICINĀJUMA ATCEREI, LĪBEKĀ 1949" (A compatriot's donation in memory of the Friendly Invitation, Lübeck 1949), along with a vintage handwritten pencil notation dated 1947. • Overall State: Vintage weathered condition consistent with age and the cheap, acidic paper stock available in post-war Germany. General edge wear, minor chipping to the cover corner, and natural browning/toning to the pages. Completely intact and legible. • The Publisher & Author (Jūlijs Lūsis): Lūsis was a proactive Latvian intellectual who recognized an immediate, critical problem in the refugee camps: thousands of displaced Latvians were completely surrounded by a German-speaking environment while simultaneously trying to coordinate their futures with British and American military authorities. • The Post-War DP Camp Context: This volume was explicitly "Authorised by UNRRA Team 76" (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) and printed by Allgauer Druckerei und Verlagsanstalt in Kempten. UNRRA tightly controlled paper rations and printing presses; permission was only granted for vital educational or practical items. • The Latvian Preface Insights: In the preface, Lūsis writes movingly about the harsh, unfavorable conditions under which the dictionary had to be compiled. He notes that the sheer urgency of the refugee crisis forced him to rush the book to the press without the luxury of typical editing cycles, viewing it as a vital service to help his compatriots navigate their sudden displacement. • The "Friendly Invitation" Connection: The 1949 Lübeck inscription references the Draudzīgais aicinājums (Friendly Invitation)—a famous Latvian cultural movement started in 1935 by Kārlis Ulmanis, which encouraged citizens to donate books to their former schools. Finding this tradition actively kept alive inside a refugee camp in Lübeck three years after publication adds tremendous cultural provenance to this specific copy. • These booklets were printed in small quantities on low-quality paper, meaning few survived intact. • The Lübeck Inscription: The 1949 Draudzīgais aicinājums refugee camp stamp significantly elevates this specific copy above a standard text block. It proves the book traveled between different camp ecosystems (from Kempten in Bavaria to Lübeck in the north) and was used as a charitable gift among exiles. Pickup category timeslot {A}