A remarkable and exceptionally scarce Greek wartime edition of Heinrich Hoffmann's Der Struwwelpeter, published in Athens in 1943 during the Axis Occupation of Greece. This rare Greek-language edition, entitled «Ο Αναμαλλιάρης Πέτρος – Εύθυμες ιστορίες του Ερρίκου Όφφμαν» (O Anamalliaris Petros – Merry Stories by Heinrich Hoffmann), presents the famous nineteenth-century children's classic in a distinctive Greek adaptation, with a rhythmic poetic translation by Leonidas Moschos and original illustrations by the Greek painter and illustrator Takis Kalmouchos (1895–1961). What makes this copy particularly interesting is the combination of bibliographical rarity, original Greek illustration, wartime production, and surviving personal provenance. A Greek Struwwelpeter transformed by Takis Kalmouchos Rather than simply reproducing the familiar German imagery, this edition presents the work through a specifically Greek artistic interpretation by Takis Kalmouchos, an established Greek painter who also worked as a book illustrator. Kalmouchos studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts and is documented as an illustrator of important Greek literary works, including the first collected edition of the poems of Constantine P. Cavafy in 1935. His illustrations give this edition an independent artistic identity and make the book of interest not only to collectors of children's literature, but also to collectors of Greek graphic art, book illustration and twentieth-century printed culture. A book printed in occupied Athens, 1943 The edition was produced in Athens in 1943, during the Axis Occupation of Greece, a period marked by severe economic hardship, shortages and disruption to everyday life. It was printed by the V. Papachrysanthou Lithographic Press, an established Athens lithographic printing house. The use of lithographic printing is itself an attractive feature for collectors of Greek illustrated books and printed ephemera. A small children's book such as this, produced on relatively fragile wartime paper and intended for everyday use, was never likely to have a high survival rate. The survival of a complete, intact example therefore gives the book considerable documentary interest as an example of Greek children's publishing during the Occupation. Particularly evocative 1946 inscription This copy contains an especially interesting piece of provenance: a handwritten dedication in Russian, dated 1946, from a mother to her daughter, written inside the front cover. The inscription adds a fascinating post-war dimension to the object. It suggests that the book continued to have a personal life after the Occupation and places the physical copy within the wider movements of people and families in Greece during the immediate aftermath of WWII. For a collector, this is more than a printed book: it is a small surviving object carrying evidence of both wartime publishing and post-war personal history. Bibliographical significance The original Der Struwwelpeter was created by German physician and author Heinrich Hoffmann and first published in 1845. The work subsequently became one of the best-known illustrated children's books in European publishing history. Greek editions appeared before the present volume, but this 1943 edition represents a distinct Greek adaptation and artistic production, with its own translation, illustrations and Athens lithographic manufacture. It should therefore be regarded as a “First Edition Thus” rather than as the first Greek edition of Der Struwwelpeter. Item details Author: Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann Original work: Der Struwwelpeter Greek title: Ο Αναμαλλιάρης Πέτρος Translator: Leonidas Moschos Illustrator: Takis Kalmouchos (1895–1961) Printer: V. Papachrysanthou Lithographic Press, Athens Year: 1943 Language: Greek Additional feature: handwritten Russian dedication dated 1946 Extent: 24 pages Dimensions: approximately 24.5 cm × 16.5 cm Binding: original soft paper wrappers Printing: lithography Period: WWII / Axis Occupation of Greece Condition Good vintage condition for its age and intended use. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description. A fascinating survivor from occupied Athens, combining a world-famous European children's classic with a distinctly Greek artistic and historical context.