Signed books inscribed - Avec envoi

Image for I.I. CHEPIGOVSKII. A Concise Sacred History of...the Old Testament. First edition in the original Ossetian. Vladikavkaz, 1881. #2

With an important inscription by the "Apostle of Ossetia" (Gostieva)

Xucav arxivani Ragondini cibir sijdæg istorja [A Concise Sacred History of the Church of God under the Old Testament]

Vladikavkaz, Z.I. Shuvalov, 1881. £3,750

First edition of this very first 'old testament' in Ossetian. A fine example, in wrappers and inscribed by the author to an important local missionary. Very rare, with only one other copy traced (Denmark).

Image for GULBENKIAN. La Transcaucasie... First edition, inscribed. Paris, 1891. #2

Gulbenkian's only publication - inscribed to a senior Turkish diplomat

GULBENKIAN, Calouste

La Transcaucasie et la péninsule d'Apchéron: Souvenirs de voyage

Librarie Hachette, Paris, 1891. £4,850

Scarce travel account in the Caucasus, and nowadays Azerbaijan in particular, by the founder of the Iraq Petroleum Company. A choice copy, presented to the Turkish ambassador to the UK.

Image for I. BRODSKII. Ostanovka v pustyne [Halt in Wilderness]. First edition, inscribed. New York, 1970. #2

Inscribed to a Jewish émigré journalist at BBC Russian

BRODSKII, Iosif [also Joseph BRODSKY]

Ostanovka v pustyne [Halt in the Wilderness; also A Stop in a Desert]

Chekhov, Niu Iork, 1970. £3,500

First edition of this important poetry collection by "the most popular Russian poet of the second half of the 20th century" (Shubinskii). A fine example of the first issue, boldly inscribed.

Image for S. ALEKSIEVICH. U voiny ne zhenskoe litso [The Unwomanly Face of War]. First edition, first issue, inscribed. Minsk, 1985. #2

The Nobel Laureate's first book - inscribed

ALEKSIEVICH, Svetlana

U voiny ne zhenskoe litso [The Unwomanly Face of War]

Mastatskaia litaratura, Minsk, 1985. £6,250

First edition, first issue, an inscribed copy, of Aleksievich's important first book. She would go on and win the Nobel Prize of LIterature 30 years later, in 2015.

Image for RICARD de MONTFERRAND. Description de la grande cloche de Moscou. Inscribed copy of the first edition. Paris, 1840. #2

Fine example, inscribed

MONTFERRAND, Auguste RICARD de

Description de la grande cloche de Moscou

Paris, Thierry frères, 1840. £6,000

One of the great books on Moscow, this one focusing on the enormous bell in the Kremlin. A beautiful production of Parisian presses, this particular copy inscribed by the celebrated French architect who worked in Russia and, inter alia, built the St. Isaac Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Image for ANTHONY & HASKELL. Ballet. Camera Studies. First edition, inscribed; limited to 100 copies. London, 1937 #3

One of only 100 copies - not only signed by Anthony, but inscribed by Haskell too

ANTHONY, Gordon and Arnold HASKELL

Ballet. Camera Studies

Bles, London, 1937. £1,250

Fine example of this classic record of the Ballets Russes, with the signatures of both authors, which is unusual.

Image for Th. JERVIS. Topographical Map of Crimea. First edition, London, 1854. Presentation copy #2

Presentation copy of this wall-map

JERVIS, Thomas Best

Voennaia topograficheskaia karta poluostrova Kryma [...] Military Topographical Map of the Krima Peninsula [...]

[Williams & Norgate and Petheram (?)], London, 1854. £3,750

Very detailed, large map of Crimea, with much information and produced in time for the Criman War. First edition, here a rare presentation copy inscribed by Jervis, with further provenance.

Image for BRODSKY. A Stop in the Desert. Poster signed by the author. First edition thus, Ardis, 1972. #2

Poetry on the wall - signed by the poet

BRODSKY, Iosif [Joseph BRODSKII] and Jamie FULLER (translator)

A Stop in a Desert

[Ardis, Ann Arbor, 1972]. £950

One of the earliest US publications by Brodsky and one of the first collaborations between him and Ardis, initiating a long-lasting and fruitful publishing history. Scarce poetical poster, with Brodsky's original signature.

Image for EVANGULOV & others. Koster. First edition, inscribed. Vladikavkaz, 1920. #2

Very rare poetry in Civil War – twice inscribed

EVANGULOV, Gerogii, G. A[STAKHOV], Liudmila BERIDZE, Riurik IVNEV, Konst. IUST, and Ivan IVANOV (artist)

Koster. Stikhi [Bonfire. Poems]

Vladikavkaz, Terkavtsentropechat, 1920. £2,250

Extremely rare provincial publication in the aftermath of the Civil War - a choice copy with the striking cover coloured and a double inscription to its artist.

Image for [RUSSIAN POETRY IN TRANSLATION]. Nachbildungen Russischer Originale. First edition thus, inscribed. Berlin, 1905. #2

Poems inscribed to Pushkin's granddaughter

V. W. [ie. Wilhelm van der VILET]

Nachbildungen Russischer Originale

Bernstein, Berlin, 1905. £975

Imperial copy of this scarce anthology of Russian poems in a German translation, inscribed to a Grand Duchess of Russia and granddaughter of Russia's greatest poet. Acquired from the Grand Duke's descent.

Image for PUSHKIN. Eugene Oneguine. First English translation, inscribed. London, 1881. #2

Onegin in English for the first time, "with the translator's compliments"

PUSHKIN, Alexander and Henry SPALDING (transl.)

Eugene Onéguine

London, Macmillan and Co., 1881. £8,000

Desirable copy of this landmark translation, the first into English and here inscribed by the translator.

Image for M. DZHANASHVILI. History of Georgia and Russia. First edition, inscribed. Tiflis, 1912. #2

History from Georgia and Armenia, to Central Asia and Palestine - inscribed

DZHANASHVILI, Mose

K materialam po istorii o drevnostiam Gruzii i Rossii [On the History and Antiquities of Georgia and Russia]

Tip. Kantseliarii Namestnika E.I.V. na Kavkaze, Tiflis, 1912. £1,500

A desirable copy of this historical booklet with an agenda: showing that Georgia and Russia haven been naturally linked for centuries. Covering also other, more unexpected regions. First edition, inscribed and with émigré provenance.

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

Lafoyer, Vannes, for Librairie de l'art indépendant, Paris, 1898. £2,450

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 N. PUNIN & P. MITURICH. Skaz gramotnykh detiam [Tale for Literate Children]. First edition of this very rare Russian children book; inscribed. Moscow, 1919 #2

Rare and fascinating avant-garde children book - inscribed

PUNIN, Nikolai and P[etr] MITURICH (artist)

Skaz gramotnykh detiam [Tale for Literate Children]

15aia Gos. tip. for Otdel izobr. iskusstv komissariata nar. prosv., [Moskva, 1919]. £7,500

A book like we love them: with many different interesting aspects, from the beautiful gold illlustrations, and the research principle at their source, to the 'missed propaganga' theme of the tale and the tragic fate of his author, Akhmatova's husband, who here added a fine handwritten inscription to the copy. Just fantastic.

Image for J. BRODSKY. Two volumes of poetry. First editions, inscribed. Ann Arbor, 1977. #2

Nobel-Prize winning poetry pre- and post-emigration - "avec best pozhelaniiami"

BRODSKII, Iosif [also Joseph BRODSKY]

Konets prekrasnoi epokhi. Stikhotvoreniia 1964-1971 [with] Chast rechi. Stikhotvoreniia 1972-1976 [The End of a Beautiful Era. Poems 1964-1971 [with] Part of Speech. Poems 1972-1976].

Ardis, Ann Arbor, 1977. £7,750

Great gathering of both volumes, in first editions, both inscribed to Vandelos-Legkaia, a figure of the Russian community in the USA.

Image for S. DOVLATOV. Marsh odinikikh. First edition, inscribed. Holyoke, 1983. #2

A chronicle of the early 1980s in the US Russian community

DOVLATOV, Sergei

Marsh odinokikh [The March of the Lonely]

Holyoke, New England Publishing Co, 1983. £2,250

First edition thus, inscribed to a fellow journalist and author.

Image for S. DOVLATOV. Nashi [Ours]. First edition, inscribed. Ann Arbor, 1983. #2

"One only wants to be like Chekhov"

DOVLATOV, Sergei

Nashi [Ours]

Ardis, Ann Arbor, 1983. £2,500

First edition of this collection of short stories by the famous Russian author. An appealing example, inscribed by Dovlatov to a figure of the US Russian emigration.

Image for S. DOVLATOV. Zona. First edition, inscribed. Ann Arbor, 1982. #2

His "most important book" - inscribed

DOVLATOV, Sergei

Zona: zapiski nadziratelia [The Zone: A Prison Camp Guard's Story]

Ermitazh, Ann Arbor, 1982. £3,000

First edition Dovlatov's famous work, inscribed to a figure of the Russian emigration in the US.

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