Erstausgaben Russischer Literatur | PY Rare Books

Image for J. BRODSKY. Verses and Poems, first edition in the original Russia. USA, 1965. #2

A Nobel Prize's first book

Stikhotvoreniia i poemy [Verses and Poems]

Inter-Language Literary Associates, Washington, D.C.-New York, 1965. £750

First edition of an important start: the future nobel prize winner's first collection of poems that had to be published abroad after he was sentenced to five years of hard labor for "social parasitism" in 1964.

Image for TOLSTOY, Zhivoi Trup [A Living Corpse], first book edition in the original Russian, Moscow, 1912 #1

Tolstoy's answer to Chekhov - unopened

TOLSTOY, Lev Nikolaevich [TOLSTOI]

Zhivoi trup. Drama v 6 deistviyakh i 12 kartinakh [A Living Corpse. A drama in 6 acts and 12 scenes]

I.D. Sytin for Alexandra Lvovna Tolstaya, Moskva, 1912. £1,000

First separate edition of Tolstoy's play, a large-format quality production, with illustrations. A lovely example, unopened in the charming art-nouveau wrappers.

Tolstoy wrote in his diary, "that in A Living Corpse there are notes inspired by Chekhov's work. Such is the secret of artistic creativeness".

Image for I. GONCHAROV. Obryv. First edition, St. Petersburg, 1870. #2

"This is the child of my heart"

GONCHAROV, Ivan

Obryv [The Precipice]

Skt. Peterburg, Tip. Morskogo Ministerstva, 1870. £2,500

First edition in book form of this novel, Goncharov's last. A fresh, crisp example.

Image for F. DOSTOEVSKY, Zapiski iz mertvago doma. First edition, in Russian, St. Petersburg, 1862. #2

An "unsurpassed work of Russian and world literature" (Lenin)

DOSTOEVSKY, Fedor

Zapiski iz mertvago doma [Memoirs from the House of the Dead]

Iosafat Ogrizko, Skt. Peterburg, 1862. £6,750

First complete edition of Dostoevsky's famous work, here in a contemporary Russian binding and good condition.

Image for V. SIRIN [NABOKOV]. Korol, Dama, Valet. First edition, Berlin, 1928. #2

A "bright brute [with an] elaborate and rapturous composition" (Nabokov) - in the original wrappers

SIRIN, V. [pseud. for Vladimir NABOKOV]

Korol, Dama, Valet [King, Queen, Knave]

Berlin, Hirschbaum for Slovo, 1928. £2,750

Early Nabokov: a pleasant example of the novel's first edition, in the original Russian.

Image for AKHMATOVA, A. U samogo moria. First edition, 1921. #2

A Black Sea youth

AKHMATOVA, Anna

U samogo moria [At the Edge of the Sea]

Alkonost, Skt. Peterburg, 1921. £750

The first edition of this important autobiographical poem by one of the best Russian poets, and a victim of Soviet censorship.

Image for L. TOLSTOY and A. SEURON. Nikolai Palkin and other works. 1895-1903. #2

Tolstoy's life and thoughts: a gathering of scarce pamphlets

TOLSTOY, Lev Nikolaevich, Anna SEIRON [SEURON] and Nadezhda ZHIVAGO (artist)

Nikolai Palkin. Rabotnik Emelian i pustoi baraban. Dorogo Stoit [BOUND WITH:] Shest let v dome grafa Lva Nikolaievicha Tolstogo [AND WITH:] Assiriiskii tsar Assarkhadon. Tri voprosa [Nikolai "The Beater". Emelian the Worker and the Empty Drum. Too Dear! [BOUND WITH:] Six Years at the Household of the Count Tolstoy [BOUND WITH:] The Assyrian King Assarkhadon. Three questions]

I. V.Tcherttkoff, Purleigh, Maldon, England; II. Minkov, Skt Peterburg; III. Kushnerev for Posrednik, Moskva, 1899, 1895 and [1903]. £1,500

Banned works, illustrated tales, and memoirs of his household: a fine group of works by and about Tolstoy, most in first editions in Russian.

Image for TSVETAEVA, M. Razluka, first edition. Berlin, 1922. #2

Partially unopened, in the publisher's boards

TSVETAEVA, Marina Ivanovna

Razluka [Separation]

Sinaburg & co. for Gelikon, Moskva - Berlin, 1922. £1,500

An attractive example of this fragile production, Tsvetaeva's first poetry collection published abroad. First edition.

Image for PARNOK, S. Vpolgolosa, first edition, inscribed. Moscow, 1928. #2

"Russia's Sapho" and her circle of female friends

PARNOK, Sofiia

Vpolgolosa. Stkihi 1926-1927 [Half-Whispered. Poems 1926-1927]

Uzel, Moskva, 1928. £4,250

An inscribed copy of Parnok's last collection of verses: a very rare work by a Russian woman standing out in the literary landscape of the country.

Image for GOGOL. Mertvie dushi [Dead Souls]. First edition. Moscow, 1842 #2

Gogol's masterpiece with "All of Russia"

GOGOL, Nikolai

Pokhozhdeniia Chichikova, ili Mertvyia dushi. Poema [The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls. A Poem]

Universit. Tip., Moskva, 1842. £39,500

A pinacle of humour and Russia's second great novel (after Lermontov's 'Hero of our Times'), here in a fine example of the first edition, with the very rare and famous upper wrapper.

Image for SHKOLVSKII, V. & El LISSITZKY. Zoo. First edition, Berlin, 1923. #2

Berlin's fauna of Russian immigrants

SHKLOVSKII, Viktor and El LISITSKII [LISSITZKY] (artist)

Zoo. Pisma ne o liubvi ili tretia Eloiza [Zoo. Letters Not About Love or the Third Eloise]

Gelikon, Berlin, 1923. £600

Cover design by El Lissitzky for this depiction of the Russian emigration in Berlin in the Golden Twenties.

The preferred first edition, rarer than the Russian one published shortly afterwards.

Image for TOLSTOY, L. Master and Man, first edition, first issue. Moscow, 1895. #2

Famous short story - with the original wrappers

TOLSTOY, Lev

Khoziain i rabotnik. Rasskaz [Master and Man. A Story]

I.D. Sytin for Posrednik, Moskva, 1895. £1,500

Pleasant example, finely bound with the original wrappers, of this important short story by one of the greatest Russian authors. First issue of the first edition.

In contemporary binding

TURGENEV, Ivan Sergeevich

Nov [Virgin Soil]

Gerhard, Leipzig, 1877. £4,500

Pleasant example of this scarce and important Russian novel - first edition, printed outside Russia.

Image for KRYLOV, Ivan. Fables russes. Paris, Didot, 1825. Fine example. #2

Russian fables for Europe: illustrated and translated

KRYLOV – KRILOFF, Ivan Andreevich

Basni russkiia [...] Fables russes [...] imitées en vers Français et Italiens par divers auteurs

Didot for Bossange, Paris, 1825. £8,750

Attractive example of this famous edition of Russia's greatest fabulist, in Russian, French and Italian, with engraved plates. A luxury lifetime production, here particularly fresh.

Image for TSVETAEVA, BLOK, BELYI, VOLOSHIN... Antologiia. Musaget, Moscow, 1911. First edition. #2

With many important poets of the Silver Age

TSVETAEVA, Marina Ivanovna, et al

Antologiia [Anthology]

Musaget, Moskva, 1911. £1,000

The young Tsvetaeva among other greats: Blok, Belyi, Solovev, Voloshin etc. Her second appearance in print, and the first of two poems of hers. With the original printed wrappers.