“A Trap for Judges” was the first anthology of Russian Futurists. It is a small-sized book, and according to one of the most widespread versions, its publication is considered the beginning of the history of Russian avant-garde. The anthology was published in 300 copies either at the end of April or the beginning of May in 1910.

The book had no manifesto, but it was intended to vividly demonstrate to the world the birth of a new creative force. Velimir Khlebnikov came up with the name — “A Trap for Judges”, and by judges, he meant poets that participated in the creation of the anthology.

The most unusual thing about the book’s appearance is that it was printed on the back side of thin cheap wallpaper. The text abolished the letters of the Old Slavonic alphabet, had deliberate violations of the rules of syntax and orthography, and featured neologisms.

According to Mikhail Matyushin, the way the Futurists chose to distribute “A Trap for Judges” was just as outstanding as the process of working on it. He wrote,

And although the symbolist poets, who traditionally gathered at Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov’s soirees, could not truly appreciate at that moment the innovative significance of “A Trap for Judges”, much like the first reviewers of the anthology, its preparation united the Futurists for even more impressive joint projects.