Oblong 4to; 575 pages; First edition. Original Publisher's Cloth. Oblong 4to. 575, [7] pages. illus. 20 x 27 cm. In Yiddish and English throughout. A defining work on the lost Jewish communities of Europe. Others have come out in the last 2 decades, but this was the first (many, though by no means all, photos are by Vishniak) . Documenting Jewish life in Eastern Europe with over 600 photos (and text in English and Yiddish) , this work was an early post-war portrayal of these communities within the obvious context that they were gone forever, some with almost no trace of their thousand year histories remaining. Abramovitch himself was a refugee from this world--he was a leader of the Mensheviks in exile who worked at the Jewish Daily Forward and was also active in the Bund. Published as a memorial to these extinct communities, the book is bound in attractive heavy red linen with gilt spine and cover lettering in English and Yiddish, with a paper label (with a woodcut design) on the front. Card pocket and institutional markings on blank endpapers, otherwise very clean inside, Bit of discoloration to spine, otherwise Very good condition. Excellent copy. (HOLO2-75-11B)