Text dt. - Rare. „One of the most remarkable propaganda books of the DDR. Designed by Klaus Bernsdorf and produced by the Graphischen Werkstätten Leipzig. It was published by the political arm of the Border police. The borders of the Soviet Zone of Occupation (German Democratic Republic or DDR after 1949), were guarded from 1946 by a border police force. After 1952 and until the construction of the wall this border police force was part of the Ministry of State Security, also known as Stasi. This elaborate commemorative volume published to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the border guards was designed to show the new self-confidence and strength of the new republic. The landscape-format book is produced in rotogravure printing and contains black and white and colour photos that show pictures of all areas of border guards: training, arming, sports, health care, and especially from the patrols of the borders. Of particular interest are the sections which deal with the border to with West Germany and Berlin. All double page spreads, using occasional spray retouching, drawings and photomontages are brilliant examples of socialist realism. According to Thomas Wiegand, hardly any other book of this period communicates better the political zeitgeist of the DDR in 1956. One of the most interesting and impressive propaganda photo books from the 1950's.“ (Antiq. RRB Photobooks, 11.2014).