The famous Arctic issue of the main propaganda magazine from Soviet Union, designed by Lissitzky. A superb production, here in its English version and in fresh condition.
LARMESSIN, Nicolas de and other engravers, after Pierre-Denis MARTIN LE JEUNE (artist)
The Great Northern War: the Complete Set of Four Engravings
A fine example of these celebrated large-format engravings showing Peter the Great and his victories against Sweden in the early 18th century. In attractive condition, complete with the Russian text.
[BAIRD, Charles] – SUHR, Peter (artist, attrib. to)
Das St. Petersburger Dampfschiff [in pencil] [The St. Petersburg Steamboat]
Large representation of this innovative boat, one of the first passengers steamboats in the world with regular sea voyages. Very rare lithograph, before the letter and with contemporary hand-colouring, with no other copies traced in institutions.
A diplomatic gift from Nikolay II to the French President Felix Faure, in a great, striking binidng boasting the Russian flag. First edition of this fine illustrated work, very rare as only one other copy traced worldwide.
[CATHERINE THE GREAT] – ARNDT, Christian Gottlieb (translator)
Rußisch-kaiserliche Ordnung der Handels-Schiffahrt auf Flüßen, Seen und Meeren [Russian Imperial Statute of Merchant Shipping on Rivers, Lakes and Seas]
First developped legislative corpus for maritime trade and merchant shipping. First edition in German, Catherine's native language, printed in Saint Petersburg.
BORISOV, Aleksandr Alekseevich
U Samoedov. Ot Pingi do Karskogo moria. Putevye ocherki [Among the Samoyeds. From the Pinega river to the sea of Kars. Travel sketches]
An artist-explorer gives his impressions of his polar trip to Northern Russia.
The Balkans, Southern Eastern Europe and Western Turkey in two fascinating folio volumes detailing all events of the 1877-78 war. Very richly illustrated and rarely found in such an attractive example, here in the original publisher's binding.
Great visual record of South Sakhalin in the 1920s-30s: wide-ranging, artistic - and scarce. A beautifully fresh example.
The US Ambassador to Japan recounts his views of Vladivostok, just a year after the Russian Revolution while the Civil War front is moving eastwards: a fine letter on embossed official paper of the Embassy, kept with its signed original envelope.
[BOUND WITH:]
Lateinisch-Rußisch und Teutsches Vocabularium. Latino-rossiiskaia i nemetskaia slovesnaia kniga.
[BOUND WITH:]
Poshlinnoi Tarif […]. Zoll-Tarif […]
An exceptional sammelband for Russo-German sea trade under the Germanophile Tsarina Anna Ivanovna, containing three rare and early Russian publications: the first bilingual editions of the new duty statute and of the customs tariff, together with a trilingual dictionary. A lovely, fresh example in contemporary binding.
Very rare fiist editoion of this travel to areas "almost completely closed to Europeans" (Vigasin): the first significant Russian publication on Central Asia, "the first geographic exploration of Uzbekistan" (Lebedev) with a detailed description of silk production, and most probably the first printed Russian-Persian vocabulary.
A lovely group of rare Russian photographs, showing Northern indigenous peoples and local trades by one of the main photographers of the Russian North, and future mayor of Arkhangelsk.
Fine example, in full red morocco, of the account of this official American mission to Russia, just 6 months before the sale of Alaska.
Great denunciation of the catastrophy for Russia of the war against Japan. A pre-revolutionary publication banned in tsarist Russia.
First edition of Kruzenshtern's important study of North Pacific languages, in a superb, very unusual example: very crisp, uncut, in plain temporary wrappers and printed on thicker woven paper. We were unable to trace other such large-paper copies. A rare book on the market: only two copies at auction.
