Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as Passed and Proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Tenth Day of December 1948

Item Details

New York, New York, United Nations Department of Public Information, 1949, loose paper proofs and two stapled pamphlets.

First edition, excellent condition.

From Pied Oxen Printers' collection of objects related to print and book history.

A printer’s archive/ephemera for one of the most consequential publications of the twentieth century, which remains relevant today.

The small archive comprises the unknown printer/graphic designer’s preliminary sketches and proofs for the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, plus first editions in French and English, as issued, of the publication, as follows:

1. Original pencil sketches and printer’s preliminary letterpress proofs on hand-made and machine-made papers for the title (12 pieces) and two different text settings (33 pieces) of the Universal Declaration. Excellent condition with very minor toning on some pieces 
2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as Passed and Proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Tenth Day of December 1948. United Nations Department of Public Information, 1949. [12] pp. 5.5 x 8.5 inches. Letterpress-printed. Stapled as issued. As new condition.
3. Declaration Universelle des Droits de L’Homme, telle qu’elle a été Approuvée et Proclamée par l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies le 10 décembre 1948. Département de l’Information, Organisation des Nations Unies, 1949. [12] pp. 5.5 x 8.5 inches. Letterpress-printed. Stapled as issued. As new condition.

From the website of the United Nations: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. The UDHR is widely recognized as having inspired, and paved the way for, the adoption of more than seventy human rights treaties, applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels (all containing references to it in their preambles). 

From the website of Amnesty International: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a document that acts like a global road map for freedom and equality – protecting the rights of every individual, everywhere. It was the first time countries agreed on the freedoms and rights that deserve universal protection in order for every individual to live their lives freely, equ­­ally and in dignity…The Declaration outlines 30 rights and freedoms that belong to all of us and that nobody can take away from us. The rights that were included continue to form the basis for international human rights law. Today, the Declaration remains a living document. It is the most translated document in the world.