Remarkable illustrated books | PY Rare Books

Image for NARBUT & KRYLOV. Basni [Fables]. Knebel, Moscow, 1912, first edition with these illustrations. #2

Fables in silhouette

NARBUT, Egor (artist) and Ivan Andreevich KRYLOV

Basni Krylova [Krylov's Fables]

Knebel, Moskva, [1912]. £850

Some of the most famous Russian fables here illustrated by the leading Ukrainian artist. Scarce in this lovely condition.

Image for W. SIMPSON. The Seat of War in the East. First edition, hand-coloured, London, 1855-56. #2

The preferred hand-coloured version - here with the rare text volume

SIMPSON, William

The Seat of War in the East

Day & Son for Colnaghi, London, 1855-56. £17,500

A most famous plate book on the Crimean War. First edition, a very good example complete of the deluxe version, with the smaller text volume.

Image for GEISSLER, GRUBER & RICHTER. Russian Folk Amusements. First edition, Leipzig 1801. Complete with hand-coloured plates #2

Partying in late 18th-c. Russia

GEISSLER, [Christian Gottfried Heinrich], J.G. GRUBER and J. RICHTER

Russische Volke-Vergnügungen [Russian Folk Amusements]

Leipzig, Im Industrie Comptoir, [1801]. £5,750

Very rare large-format plates in striking colours, by a master of the genre. Last copy traced on the market: in 1931, incomplete.

Image for PUSHKIN & ALEXEIEFF. Récits de Ivan Bielkine. First edition thus, Maestricht & Bruxelles, 1929/1930. #2

With some of the best plates of Alexeieff

ALEXEIEFF, Alexandre et Alexandre POUCHKINE [PUSHKIN]

Les Récits de Feu Ivan Pétrovitch Bielkine

Boosten et Stols, Maestricht, pour Stols, Maestricht et Bruxelles, 1930 [mais Septembre 1929]. £600

Pleasant example, fresh internally, of this famous production of Alexeieff illustrating Pushkin. First edition with these illustrations. One of the "few copies" not for sale.

Image for [ROMANOVS] Childhood, Education and Young Years of the Russian Tsars. First edition, in the original Russian. Skt. Peterburg, 1914. #2

With the gilt cover in fine condition

[ROMANOVS] – Ivan Nikolaevich BOZHERIANOV

Detstvo, vospitanie i leta iunosti russkih imperatorov [Childhood, Education and Young Years of Russian Emperors]

Benke, Skt. Peterburg, [1914]. £4,250

Pleasant and attractive example of this great book, a luxurious, richly illustrated production presenting the childhood of the Romanov tsars over 200 years. First edition, scarce in such condition.

Image for BOTKIN. Sobranie. First edition of his art collection. St. Petersburg, 1911. #2

One of the great art collections in the world

BOTKIN, Mikhail Petrovich

Sobranie M.P. Botkina [The Collection of M.P. Botkin]

Skt. Peterburg, Golike i Vilborg, [1911]. £3,950

Lavish catalogue of this amazing art collection, now in the best museums of Russia. With more than 100 plates showing items from Byzantine, French, Italian, Caucasian cultures among others. A pleasant example of this volume, now very rarely seen on the market.

Image for G. GAGARIN. Byzantine and Russian ornaments. First edition, in Russian, St. Petersburg, 1887. #2

Ancient ornaments to enlighten modern architecture

GAGARIN, Prince Grigorii Grigorevich

Sbornik vizantiiskikh i drevne-russkikh ornamentov

Stauf and Khromolit. Stadler i Pattinot, Skt. Peterburg, 1887. £1,500

The luxuriously crafted first edition of Prince Gagarin's study of medieval Russian and Byzantine ornaments, mostly taken from manuscripts and architectural landmarks. A complete copy.

Image for SARYKULOVA. Grafika Kazakhstana. First edition, Antoshchenko-Olenev's copy. Alma-Ata, 1967. #2

Kazakh art by a woman art historian - with provenance

SARYKULOVA, Gul-Chara [Abutalipovna]

Grafika Kazakhstana [Graphic art of Kazakhstan]

Izd. 'Nauka' Kaz. SSR ['Nauka' publishing house of the Kazakh SSR], Alma-Ata, 1967. £1,750

A groundbreaking work on art from Kazakhstan, written by a major female figure of Kazakh art history - this copy with great artistic provenance. First edition, uncommon, a choice copy.

Image for N. CHAKIROV. Tsars' coronations & history of the Russian empire. First edition, New York, 1971. #2

In bright condition

CHAKIROV, Nikita (editor)

Tsarskie koronatsii na Rusi iz Istorii Derzhavy Rossiiskoi XVI-XX vv. The history of the Russian Empire

Printed in Japan for the Russian Orthodox Youth Committee, New York, 1971. £950

Fine, fresh example of this luxurious book, which covers the Romanovs' dynasty with an impressive array of illustrations. First edition.

Image for KOTLIAREVSKY & BAZYLEVYCH. Eneida. Kyiv, 1971. #2

"The most popular edition [...] by the outstanding Ukrainian artist" (Lebedeva)

KOTLIAREVSKII, Ivan, Anatolii BAZYLEVYCH (artist)

Eneida [Aeneid]

Mystetstvo, Kyiv, 1971. £195

"The father of modern Ukrainian literature" in a very visual interpretation during Soviet times, by an important Ukrainian artist. Very rare in the West.

Image for MORNAY, DUBOURG & CLARK. A Picture of St. Petersburg. First edition, London, 1815. With original hand-colour and finely bound. #2

Saint Petersburg in colours

MORNAY (artist)

A Picture of St. Petersburg, represented in a Collection of Twenty interesting Views of the City, the Sledges, and the People. Taken on the Spot, at the twelve different Months of the Year: and accompanied with an Historical and Descriptive Account

Howlett and Brimmer, and Dove for Edward Orme, London, 1815. £14,500

A finely bound copy of this cornerstone of any Russian, or indeed colour-plate collection, showing the Northern Capital in colours and in all seasons, as Napoleon would have seen it if....

Image for S. COLLINS. Present State of Russia. First edition, London, 1671. #2

Drunk "very unhandsome" Circassian ladies and Russian mushrooms

[COLLINS, Samuel]

The Present State of Russia, in a Letter to a Friend at London, written by an eminent person residing at the great czars court at Mosco [sic] for the space of nine years

John Winter for Dorman Newman, London, 1671. £3,000

Great (if often negative) early account of pre-petrine Russia, with an important portrait of Tsar Alexei and a famous chapter on mushrooms - among many other remarks and anecdotes. Attractive example of the first edition.

Image for PICASSO, GONCHAROVA, LARIONOV etc. Grand Bal Travesti - Transmental. First edition, Paris, 1923. #2

The complete set

LARIONOV, M[ikhail], Nataliia GONCHAROVA, Ilia ZDANEVICH, [Pablo] PICASSO and others

Grand Bal Travesti / Transmental [Programme, Ticket and Handbill]

Francois Bernouard for Union des Artistes Russes, Paris, 1923. £1,950

Lovely gathering of three 'ephemera' items produced for the first Russian ball of the avant-garde in Paris - an eclectic show with music and dances in newly designed costumes. With Larionov's ticket, Goncharova's handbill and the famous programme with many artistic contributions.

Image for C. S. HARDINGE. Sketches in the Camp before Sebastopol. First edition, London, 1855. #2

Uncommon folio views

HARDINGE, Charles Stewart

Sketches in the Camp before Sebastopol

Henry Graves, London, 1855. £2,950

Attractive and quite rare lithograph work showing scarce scenes of the Crimean War. First edition, in its first binding.

Image for Th. GAUTIER. Russia. Philadelphia, 1905. #2

A striking copy

GAUTIER, Théophile

Russia

The John C. Winston Co., Philadelphia, 1905. £850

Impressive American publication, here in fantastic condition, bringing to the English-speaking reader an account of Russia by one of the great French authors.

Image for NASH VESTNIK. Manuscript magazine, unique copy. Soviet Union, 1921-23. #2

Fun, absurd, art and sport in the first years of the URSS

BABKIN K., M. NEKRASOV, A. ALEKSANDROV, V. SVETLISHIN and others

Nash Vestnik. Literaturno-sportivnyi zhurnal Kruzhka Fizicheskogo Razvitiia KFR [Our Newsletter. Literary and Sports Magazine of the Physical Development Club]

Vyshnii Volochek, Kruzhok Fizicheskogo Razvitiia KFR, 1921-23. £13,500

Exceptional manuscript describing sporting and other recreative activities in a small town of Russia immediately after the Civil War. A very entertaining read, mixing much information with humour and many illustrations.

Image for E. ZICHY. Travels to the Caucasus and Central Asia. First edition, in French and Hungarian. Budapest, 1897. #2

Extensive ethnography of the peoples of the Caucasus

ZICHY, Eugene [Jenő], Dr. Jean [Janos] JANKO and Dr. Bela POSTA

Kaukaìzuri eìs Közeìpaìzsiai utazaìsai. Voyages au Caucase et en Asie Centrale : La Migration de la race Hongroise [et] La Description des collections

V. Hornyanszky for G. Ranschburg, Budapest, 1897. £1,950

Fine copy of this great scholarly work on the population of the Caucasus, richly illustrated. First edition.

Image for HERBERSTEIN, ODERBORN and others. Rerum Moscoviticarum. Francfort, 1600. In contemporary binding. #3

Russia in the 16th century Russia - with the three maps

HERBERSTEIN, Sigismund von, Paulo GIOVIO, Paul ODERBORN and others

Rerum Moscoviticarum auctores varii, unum in corpus nunc primum congesti

Francofurti, Cl. Marnius & Ioann. Aubrius, 1600. £6,500

Important edition gathering Herberstein's famous description of early Russia together with other related works, to give a wide-ranging understanding of Muscovy. With aristocratic provenance, in contemporary binding, and complete with its famous illustrations and maps, including Moscow's first printed plan.

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