Russian literature in first editions Keywords

Image for STANISLAVSKII, K. Photograph inscribed. Moscow, 1911. #2

Chekhov's innovative director

STANISLAVSKII, Konstantin Sergeevich

Cabinet photograph signed to Andrei Pavlovich Petrovskii

£3,750

STANISLAVSKII, Konstantin Sergeevich, Cabinet photograph signed to Andrei Pavlovich Petrovskii

Excellent photograph of the famous director, beautifully inscribed to a fellow man of theatre.

Image for TOLSTOY, L. War and Peace - first two parts, first publication; Moscow, 1865-66. #2

War and Peace before War and Peace

TOLSTOY, Lev

Tysiacha vosemsot piatyi god [The Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Five]

£4,750

TOLSTOY, Lev, Tysiacha vosemsot piatyi god

The very first publication of any part of Tolstoy's masterpiece 'War and Peace'.

"For adults" as printed on the title page

TOLSTOY, Lev

Vlast Tmy [The Power of Darkness]

£1,250

TOLSTOY, Lev, Vlast Tmy

Tolstoy the playwright, with a play forbidden for the stage during some years. A fresh example of the first edition.

Image for NEMIROVICH-DANCHENKO, V. Slazki deistvitelnosti. First edition, Tsarskoe Selo copy. #2

Imperial copy

NEMIROVICH-DANCHENKO, Vasilii Ivanovich

Skazki deistvitelnosti [Tales of Reality]

£2,750

NEMIROVICH-DANCHENKO, Vasilii Ivanovich, Skazki deistvitelnosti

First edition of these great realistic Russian novellas: the Tsarskoe Selo copy.

Image for CHEKHOV and others. The Cherry Orchard, and other writings. First publications, 1904. #2

First publication of the Cherry Orchard

CHEKHOV, Anton, Ivan BUNIN, Maksim GORKY and others

Sbornik Tovarishchestva "Znanie" za 1903 god [Collection of the "Knowledge" Society for the year 1903].

£2,500

CHEKHOV, Anton, Ivan BUNIN, Maksim GORKY and others, Sbornik Tovarishchestva "Znanie" za 1903 god

First Chekhov, first Bunin, first Gorky, first Andreev....A fine example of the uncommon two-volume Collection, with the first publication of 'The Cherry Orchard', among other firsts.

Image for SOLZHENITSYN, A. Odin den Ivana Denisovicha. First edition, Flegon, London, 1962. #1

With the rarest cover variant

SOLZHENITSYN, Aleksandr Isaevich

Odin den Ivana Denisovicha [One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]

£4,750

SOLZHENITSYN, Aleksandr Isaevich, Odin den Ivana Denisovicha

First edition of Solzhenitsyn's first book - here with the very rare variant of the cover showing a watchtower. A fine example of this great novel.

Image for SHALAMOV, V. Kolymskie rasskazy. First edition, 1978. #1

With provenance

SHALAMOV, Varlam Tikhonovich

[Kolyma Stories] Kolymskie rasskazy

£1,250

SHALAMOV, Varlam Tikhonovich, [Kolyma Stories]

First edition of this classic of "GULAG literature", with literary provenance.

Image for BLOK, A. O liubvi, poezii i gos. sluzhbe. Berlin, 1920. #1

First book edition

BLOK, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

O liubvi, poezii i gosudarstvennoi sluzhbe [Dialogue About Love, Poetry and Government Service]

£125

BLOK, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich, O liubvi, poezii i gosudarstvennoi sluzhbe

Very good example of this first separate edition of Blok's thoughts on a wide range of themes.

Image for NAKHIMOV, Akim. Works in Verse and Prose. Kharkov, 1815. #2

Rare Russian fables from Ukraine

NAKHIMOV, Akim Nikolaevich

Sochineniia v stikhakh i proze [Works in Verse and Prose]

£1,250

NAKHIMOV, Akim Nikolaevich, Sochineniia v stikhakh i proze

Early Russian fables (and other poetical works) at the dawn of Russia's Golden Age of Literature - the authors only book, written and printed in Kharkov, nowadays Ukraine. No copy traced outside Russia.

Tolstoy the playwright

TOLSTOY, Lev

Pervyi vinokur ili kak chertenok kraiushku zasluzhil. Komediia [The First Distiller, or How the Little Devil Earned his Crust. A Comedy].

£1,750

TOLSTOY, Lev, Pervyi vinokur ili kak chertenok kraiushku zasluzhil. Komediia

First edition of Tolstoy's successful play on wine and some of its effects... Lovely example in wrappers. Scarce.

Image for D.H. LAWRENCE, first edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover in Russian, Berlin, 1932 #2

In the publisher's wrappers

LORENS, D. G. [D. H. LAWRENCE] and Tatiana LESHCHENKO (transl.)

Liubovnik ledi Chatterlei [Lady Chatterley's Lover]

£3,950

LORENS, D. G. [D. H. LAWRENCE] and Tatiana LESHCHENKO (transl.), Liubovnik ledi Chatterlei

First edition in Russian of Lawrence's famous scandalous work, banned in the UK, USA and Soviet Union. An early translation by a talented Russian woman who went from Moscow to New York and to the GULAG, and inspired Solzhenitsyn. Very rare: no copy in Russian libraries, none in the UK, only two traced in WorldCat (Princeton and Syracuse).

Image for Pouchkine, Ruslan et Ludmila, première édition en vers, avec envoi, Paris, 1898. #2

Inscribed by the translator, a feminist character

[PUSHKIN] – Alexandre POUCHKINE, Véra STARKOFF (transl.) and Marie EGOROFF (artist)

Rouslane et Ludmile

£2,450

[PUSHKIN] - Alexandre POUCHKINE, Véra STARKOFF (transl.) and Marie EGOROFF (artist), Rouslane et Ludmile

The first complete poetic French translation of Pushkin's celebrated work. Strikingly illustrated by an original Russian female artist, and this copy inscribed by the translator: a politically-engaged playwright and one of the main figures of the feminist theatre movement in France. Rarely found, and only 500 copies printed.

Image for Bulgakov, Heart of Dog, first Russian book edition, Paris, YMCA, 1969. #2

U-u-u-u-u-u... in first edition

BULGAKOV, Mikhail

Sobache serdtse [Heart of a Dog]

£1,450

BULGAKOV, Mikhail, Sobache serdtse

Uncommon first book edition in Russian of Bulgakov's suppressed satirical masterpiece. A lovely copy in its original wrappers by Annenkov.

Image for TOLSTOY, Anna Karenina, first edition, 1878 #1

Anna Karenina in first edition and contemporary binding

TOLSTOY, Lev Nikolaevich

Anna Karenina

£14,500

TOLSTOY, Lev Nikolaevich, Anna Karenina

Tolstoy's masterpiece in first edition: a complete example of this classic of Russian and world literature in contemporary Russian binding.

Image for Pushkin through the Caucasus, one of 50 copies, by Serge Lifar #1

Svetlov-Fekula copy - one of 50 only

PUSHKIN, Aleksandr Sergeevich, Sergey LIFAR and Prof. M. L. GOFMAN (editors)

Puteshestvie v Arzrum vo vremia pokhoda 1829 goda [Journey to Arzrum during the campaign of 1829]

£2,950

PUSHKIN, Aleksandr Sergeevich, Sergey LIFAR and Prof. M. L. GOFMAN (editors), Puteshestvie v Arzrum vo vremia pokhoda 1829 goda

Pushkin's best travel account in a fine bibliophilic edition, one of 50 'ad nominem' copies only, this one for Valerian Svetlov.

Image for TSVETAEVA, Poslee Rossii, first edition in wrappers, 1928 #1

Her last poems - in original wrappers

TSVETAEVA, Marina

Posle Rossii. 1922-1925 [After Russia. 1922-1925]

£3,950

TSVETAEVA, Marina, Posle Rossii. 1922-1925

The last poetry of Russia's great poetess, banned in the USSR: a fine example of the first edition, in the original wrappers. Includes one of Tsvetaeva's most famous poems.

Image for Tsvetaeva, Volshebnyi fonar, The Magic Lantern, first edition in original binding, 1912 #2

Possibly Russia's greatest poetess - in the original velvet

TSVETAEVA, Marina Ivanovna

Volshebnyi fonar. Vtoraia kniga stikhov [The Magic Lantern. Second Book of Verse].

£19,500

TSVETAEVA, Marina Ivanovna, Volshebnyi fonar. Vtoraia kniga stikhov

RARE FIRST EDITION OF Tsvetaeva's SECOND BOOK OF POETRY, CONTAINING TWO OF the MOST FAMOUS POEMS of the Russian writer. One of only 500 copies; an attractive example with the fragile original velvet binding unrestored.

Image for Pasternak, Bliznets v tuchakh, first edition, 1914 #1

First edition of Pasternak's first collection of poetry

PASTERNAK, Boris Leonidovich

Bliznets v tuchakh [A Twin in Storm Clouds]

£14,000

PASTERNAK, Boris Leonidovich, Bliznets v tuchakh

The birth of a Nobel Prize: Pasternak's first collection of poetry, in a superb, fresh example of the very rare first edition.

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