Between 1918 and 1921 Stepanova and her husband, Alexander Rodchenko, produced a fine series of collages using a combination of magazine cut-out, watercolour and crayon. In general these tended to be independent works on single sheets. However, both experimented with book design and produced some of the rarest and finest futurist books of the period.

Ranked alongside F-Nagt 41° and Agafia Mother of God in terms both of quality and rarity Gaust Tschaba was published in an edition of only fifty. Each example is effectively unique because Stepanova handwrote the text and made very different collages for every example. Inspired by the success of this project both Rodchenko and Stepanova continued to produce these manuscript books into the 1920's.
Two other examples outside Russia are known to us, of which one is housed in the Museum Ludwig, Cologne. The Cologne copy was featured in the memorable exhibition The Avant Garde in Russia 1910-1930 New Perspectives held at the Los Angeles Museum of Art (July - September 1980) and Hirschhorn Museum, Washington (November 1980 - February 1981) (no. 346 a-p, illustrated).