Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

cmjones01 · 8th Jun 2023, 9:42 am

A few weeks ago I was alerted to a load of books that was being recycled from an apartment block near our house. Lots of people were sorting through the stacks and stacks of books looking for treasure, and I managed to grab a few things interesting in the vintage electronics world.

The material is in a mixture of Russian and Polish. I thought I'd post some pictures of it for interest here.

Firstly, how about this for valve data books? Published in 1947, just as Poland was passing from one horrific tyranny to the next, these two little leaflets list valve data and pin connections in the one on the left, and contain a guide to identifying unknown valves. I imagine getting new valves wasn't very easy in immediate post-war Poland, so identifying the ones you'd got was important.

cmjones01 · 8th Jun 2023, 9:43 am

Now a selection of electronics magazines from the 1960s-1980s in Polish and Russian. Some of them are technical journals containing, interestingly, translations of papers published in the West. Others are very much aimed at the amateur and contain constructional articles and descriptions of the latest developments in socialist audio-visual technology.

cmjones01 · 8th Jun 2023, 9:45 am

Anyone here into renovating Soviet tape recorders? Here's an entire book all about them, in the original Russian, dating from 1966. Complete with pull-out circuit diagrams to unfold, which is nice.

cmjones01 · 8th Jun 2023, 9:47 am

Now we go to 1964 Kyiv for a treatise on the design, manufacture and use of cathode ray tubes. It makes reference to several Soviet types which were current then.

cmjones01 · 8th Jun 2023, 9:52 am

Lastly, a book which I got interested in, all about satellites. What a find! The original information, from the launchers of the first satellite to orbit the earth. Then I looked inside. It's actually a translation of "Telecommunication Satellites" edited by K W Gatland, originally published by Iliffe in London. Oh well.

If anyone would like to see anything in particular from inside these books, do let me know.

Chris

Maarten · 10th Jun 2023, 9:42 pm

Nice find!

That 'Kineskopi' book looks interesting, but I don't have any particular detail I'm interested in. I don't suppose you have any plans to scan full books?

murphyv310 · 10th Jun 2023, 9:53 pm

Hi.
I'm sure my friend Adam Golab in Poland (A big vintage TV collector) would be interested in CRT manufacturing book.

Cruisin Marine · 10th Jun 2023, 10:28 pm

What a marvelous find! It is is the most interesting value that it shows how we and Eastern Europe evolved almost symmetrically in the electronic's field- thank you.

duncanlowe · 11th Jun 2023, 9:53 pm

Interesting that the first was published in Zakopane. Not exactly renowned for being an industral heartland.

duncanlowe · 11th Jun 2023, 9:58 pm

BTW, if there is anything published in Rzeszow, I have family who might be interested in seeing it.

8th Jun 2023, 9:42 am	#1
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,677	Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc A few weeks ago I was alerted to a load of books that was being recycled from an apartment block near our house. Lots of people were sorting through the stacks and stacks of books looking for treasure, and I managed to grab a few things interesting in the vintage electronics world. The material is in a mixture of Russian and Polish. I thought I'd post some pictures of it for interest here. Firstly, how about this for valve data books? Published in 1947, just as Poland was passing from one horrific tyranny to the next, these two little leaflets list valve data and pin connections in the one on the left, and contain a guide to identifying unknown valves. I imagine getting new valves wasn't very easy in immediate post-war Poland, so identifying the ones you'd got was important. Attached Thumbnails __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

8th Jun 2023, 9:43 am	#2
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,677	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Now a selection of electronics magazines from the 1960s-1980s in Polish and Russian. Some of them are technical journals containing, interestingly, translations of papers published in the West. Others are very much aimed at the amateur and contain constructional articles and descriptions of the latest developments in socialist audio-visual technology. Attached Thumbnails __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

8th Jun 2023, 9:45 am	#3
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,677	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Anyone here into renovating Soviet tape recorders? Here's an entire book all about them, in the original Russian, dating from 1966. Complete with pull-out circuit diagrams to unfold, which is nice. Attached Thumbnails __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

8th Jun 2023, 9:47 am	#4
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,677	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Now we go to 1964 Kyiv for a treatise on the design, manufacture and use of cathode ray tubes. It makes reference to several Soviet types which were current then. Attached Thumbnails __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

8th Jun 2023, 9:52 am	#5
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,677	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Lastly, a book which I got interested in, all about satellites. What a find! The original information, from the launchers of the first satellite to orbit the earth. Then I looked inside. It's actually a translation of "Telecommunication Satellites" edited by K W Gatland, originally published by Iliffe in London. Oh well. If anyone would like to see anything in particular from inside these books, do let me know. Chris Attached Thumbnails __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

10th Jun 2023, 9:42 pm	#6
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Nice find! That 'Kineskopi' book looks interesting, but I don't have any particular detail I'm interested in. I don't suppose you have any plans to scan full books?

10th Jun 2023, 9:53 pm	#7
murphyv310 Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, UK. Posts: 5,422	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Hi. I'm sure my friend Adam Golab in Poland (A big vintage TV collector) would be interested in CRT manufacturing book. __________________ Cheers, Trevor. MM0KJJ. RSGB, GQRP, WACRAL, K&LARC. Member

10th Jun 2023, 10:28 pm	#8
Cruisin Marine Heptode Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK. Posts: 992	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc What a marvelous find! It is is the most interesting value that it shows how we and Eastern Europe evolved almost symmetrically in the electronic's field- thank you. __________________ "Behind every crowd, there's a silver Moonshine"

11th Jun 2023, 9:53 pm	#9
duncanlowe Nonode Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK. Posts: 2,532	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc Interesting that the first was published in Zakopane. Not exactly renowned for being an industral heartland.

11th Jun 2023, 9:58 pm	#10
duncanlowe Nonode Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK. Posts: 2,532	Re: Vintage electronics books and magazines from the Eastern Bloc BTW, if there is anything published in Rzeszow, I have family who might be interested in seeing it.