Search results
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LESKOV, Nikolai Semenovich.
Soboriane. Stargorodskaia khronika [Cathedral Folk. Chronicle of Stargorod]. In: Russkii Vestnik,...
Moscow, University Press, March - July 1872.
The first appearance in print of all five parts of Leskov’s best known novel (or ‘chronicle’ as he preferred to call it), Cathedral Folk, published in instalments, between March and July 1872, in Russkii Vestnik.
£2500
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LESSING, Gotthold Ephraim, and Viktor KRYLOV (translator).
Natan mudryi. Dramaticheskoe stikhotvorenie … perevod...
St Petersburg, Stasiulevich, 1875.
First edition in Russian of Lessing’s Nathan der Weise, very rare.
£2000
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[LIDIN, Vladimir Germanovich, editor.]
Literaturnaia Rossiia. Sbornik sovremennoi russkoi prozy pod redaktsiei Vl. Lidina...
Moscow, “Novye vekhi”, 1924.
First edition of an avant-garde collection of short stories and excerpts from novels, with autobiographical sketches and bibliographies by each of the twenty-eight contributors, all written especially for this collection.
£1500
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LIVSHITS, Benedikt Konstantinovich.
Krotonskii polden’ [High Noon at Kroton].
Moscow, “Uzel”, 1928.
First collected edition. Livshits’ fifth and final book of verse, after which he turned increasingly to translation work.
£600
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LUNACHARKSII, Anatolii Vaslievich.
Piat’ farsov dlia liubitelei [Five farces for amateurs].
St Petersburg, “Shipovnik”, 1907.
Very rare first edition of five early plays, written for amateur performance, but rarely staged: ‘Sverkhchelovek’ (Superman), ‘Esche skvernyi anekdot’ (Another nasty anecdote), ‘Beglyi politik’ (The fugitive politician), ‘Bomba’ (Bomb), and ‘Obshchestvo maloi skorosti’ (Low-speed...
£500
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MACHADO, Antonio.
Juan de Mairena. Sentencias, donaires, apuntes y recuerdos de un profesor apócrifo.
Madrid, Espasa-Calpe, 1936.
First edition of this philosophical and poetic miscellany attributed to an apocryphal professor Juan de Mairena.
£650
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MARKISH, Peretz Davidovich.
Rubezh. Izbrannye stikhi [Threshold. Selected poems]. Moscow, Goslitizdat, 1933.
[Selected poems]. Moscow, Goslitizdat, 1933.
First edition in Russian of the first book by the Soviet Yiddish poet and novelist Peretz Markish (1895-1952), a collection of poems, Shveln (Threshold, Kiev, 1919) which established his reputation as one of the most important Yiddish poets of his time.
£1800
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MARKISH, Peretz Davidovich.
Brat’ia [Brothers].
Moscow, Goslitizdat, 1935.
First edition in Russian of Markish’s epic poem Brider (Brothers, Kiev, 1929), an optimistic work glorifying the Communist regime.
£1200
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MARKISH, Peretz Davidovich.
Stikhotvoreniia i poemy. Perevod s evreiskogo [Poems, long and short. Translated from the Hebrew].
Moscow, Ogiz, 1945.
First edition, a collection of late poems by the pre-eminent Soviet Yiddish poet and novelist Peretz Markish; the translations are by several hands.
£300
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MARSHAK, Samuil Iakovlevich, and Mikhail TSEKHANOVSKII.
Почта [Post].
Leningrad, ‘Pechatnyi Dvor’, 1931.
Sixth edition (first published by Raduga in 1927) of an attractive Marshak children’s story, with illustrations by the artist and animator Tsekhanovsky.
£750
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MAURIAC, François.
Le Noeud de Vipères. Roman.
[Paris], Bernard Grasset, [1932].
First edition, one of 112 numbered copies on vélin pur fil. Le Noeud de Vipères is one of the major French Catholic novels of the 20th century: a marital drama, depicting an old lawyer's rancour toward his family, his passion for money, and his final conversion. ‘Written shortly after the resolution...
£550
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MUSSET, Alfred de, and Nikolai Porfir’evich GREKOV, translator.
Rolla, poema … perevod N.P. Grekova [Rolla,...
Moscow, F.B. Miller, 1864.
First edition in Russian of Musset’s Rolla (1833), a poetic reinterpretation of the Don Juan myth, translated by the poet Nikolai Porfir’evich Grekov (1810–1866).
£1750
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[OCCUPIED FRANCE]
Finis les mauvais jours! Papa gagne de l’argent en Allemagne! [The bad days are over! Daddy is earning money...
[Paris], Office de Répartition de l´Affichage, 1943.
Rare, encouraging the voluntary relocation of French workers from impoverished and semi-starved France to Germany factories.
£300
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NERVAL, Gérard de.
Lorely, souvenirs d’Allemagne.
Paris, D. Giraud et J. Dagneau, 1852.
First edition, second issue, of a collection of Nerval’s writings on Germany. German Romanticism had a great influence on Nerval, and he was drawn to the country, visiting it seven times. At the age of 20, he published a translation of Faust which Goethe himself praised. Lorely opens with a long preface...
£800
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OLESHA, Iurii Karlovich.
Zavist’. Roman, s risunkami Natana Al’tman [Envy. A novel, with drawings by Nathan Altman].
Moscow-Leningrad, “Zemlia Fabrika, [1928].
First edition of this famous short satirical novel which ‘catapulted Olesha into the first rank of Soviet writers’ (Terras). It was fêted by both Soviet and émigré critics and established the young writer’s reputation almost overnight. Olesha later adapted it as a play, Zagovor...
£3000
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OLESHA, Iurii Karlovich.
Zapiski pisatelia [Notes of a writer].
Moscow, [“Ogonek” for] Journalists Union, 1931.
Apparent first edition of Olesha’s autobiographical sketch.
£150
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OLESHA, Iurii Karlovich.
Spisok blagodeianii … [List of blessings].
Moscow, “Federatsiia”, 1931.
First edition of the writer’s only original play. Olesha (1899–1960) is best known for the short novel Zavist’ (Envy, 1927), which was fêted by both Soviet and émigré critics and established the young writer’s reputation almost overnight.
£200
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OSTROGORSKII, Aleksandr Iakovlevich.
Zhivoe slovo. Kniga dlia izucheniia rodnogo iazyka [Living word. A book for learning our...
New York, Association Press, 1920.
Stereotype (first American?) edition. First published in 1907, Ostrogorsky’s (1868–1908) Zhivoe slovo was a runaway success in Russia, where it was widely regarded as the best reader of its type. Such high regard for the book presumably made it an obvious choice for it to be republished for...
£150
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OSTROVSKII, Aleksandr Nikolaevich.
Bednaia Nevesta, komediia v piati deistviiakh [The poor bride, a comedy in five acts].
Moscow, Stepanova, 1852
First edition. A rare early play by one of the leading Russian playwrights of the 19th century. Ostrovsky’s second play, The Poor Bride, was first published in the literary magazine The Muscovite (edited by Mikhail Pogodin) earlier in 1852. Initially banned from production by the censor, it was one...
£6500
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OZEROV, Vladislav Aleksandrovich.
Sochineniia … Chast’ pervaia [–vtoraia] [Works … Part one [–two]].
St Petersburg, Imperial Theatre, 1817 [-1816].
One of two rival collected editions published after Ozerov’s death in 1816, rare, including the first appearance of the author’s poetry and his last tragedy Poliksena.
£1800