BOOKVICA Russian Antiquarian Books www.bookvica.ru The London International Antiquarian Book Fair May 28th-30th 2015 FOREWORD

Bookvica is the specialist in antiquarian books in . We are based in Moscow () and (The republic of ). We usually focus on presenting the best books ever printed on Russian territory in all the significant fields . This catalogue for Olympia Bookfair is another step forward for us as we introduce the collection of books on Russian Travels in . This collection includes the travel accounts in Siberia and Far East of Russia as well as foreign territories. We carefully selected the accounts that were primary to these territories – the ones that made the real impact in understanding Asian world: like works of Iakinf Bichurin the first Russian sinologist or the story of the fleet of captain Rikord that prevented potential war between Russia and in the 1810s. Apart from travel we concentrate on literature: you can find in our catalogue the first editions of the best works by Dostoevsky and Chekhov along with the very first publications by them. Tracking the links between Russian and Western culture is another purpose of our work – hence the section on the reception of different western classics in Russia. The unknown early illustrated publication of ‘Dubliners’ is the highlight of that section along with the limited edition of the first Russian ‘The picture of Dorian Gray’ (1906). Our usual high-demand section of early Soviet books features books and magazines designed by Rodchenko, Moor and Ilyin. ‘Science and economics’ does have some rather interesting editions of works by Pavlov, Lenin, Darwin and Sechenov. You can also find autographs, books on music and theatre on our list. Beautiful editions of Old-believers books along with important works on Russian history conclude the catalogue. You will find us at stand F09.

Bookvica is a member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and The Guild of Antiquarian Booksellers of Russia.

David Agmashenebeli Avenue 17 Tbilisi 0102 Georgia [email protected] +7 985 218 6937, +995 (032) 2430117 2 TRAVEL

[1] [RESCUING CAPTAIN GOLOVNIN] RIKORD, P.I. [& GOLOVNIN, V.M.] Zapiski flota kapitana Rikorda o plavanii ego k yaponskim beregam v 1812 i 1813 godakh i o snosheniyakh s yapontsami [i.e. Notes of Fleet Captain Rikord about his Sailing to Japan's Shores in 1812 and 1813, and His Relations with the Japanese]. St. Petersburg: V Morskoi tip., 1816. [x], 138 pp. 4to. Period brown half calf with marbled boards and gilt lettered title on the spine. Four folding copper engraved maps and plans after P. Rikord, and an aquatint portrait of Takadaya-Kahei. Faint damp stain throughout the first eighty pages of the text, leather on the spine with chipping and minor tears, top and bottom of the spine repaired, some browning on p. 199, but overall a very good copy.

First Edition. Very rare. Primary source of the early history of the Russian-Japanese relations closely connected with the first Russian circumnavigation (1803-1806) of Ivan Krusenstern and the Russian-American Company under Nikolay Rezanov (1764-1807). The book describes the rescue operation organised by Captain Peter Rikord on the Imperial Russian sloop "Diana" as a result of the famous diplomatic Golovnin incident (1811-1813), which brought Russia and Japan to the brink of war. The conflict started in 1804 during Krusenstern’s circumnavigation; one of its goals as we know, was to bring the first Russian embassy headed by N. Rezanov to Japan. As the embassy was unsuccessful and relations between Russia and Japan weren’t established, and also Russian ships were strictly prohibited from approaching Japanese shores, Rezanov wanted revenge. Following his instructions, two ships belonging to the Russian-American Company and under the command of young navy officers Nikolas Khvostov and Gavriil Davydov in 1806-1807 sailed to the Japanese territories of Southern , Kuril Islands and , and robbed and burned the settlements there, and captured

3 TRAVEL several Japanese. Although both Kvostov and Davydov were arrested as soon as they arrived to , the attitude of the Japanese to significantly deteriorated; they considered Russia to be preparing for a war against .apan. In 1808-1811 the Russian sloop "Diana" under command of Vasily Golovnin and Peter Rikord, as the second-in-command, was sent as a second official Russian circumnavigation with the purpose of exploration and surveying of the Russian Far East, Kamchatka and Alaska. During Golovnin’s short stop at the island of Kunashir, Golovnin, his two officers and four sailors were taken prisoners, transported to the island of Hokkaido and there were kept in prison for over two years. The peaceful solution of the conflict became possible only as a result of the friendly relationship between Peter Rikord and the prominent Japanese businessman and public figure Takadaya Kahei (1769-1827). The Russian sailors were then released from Japanese captivity (no one in history has ever returned from the Japanese captivity before). This work describes the story of Golovnin’s capture and the rescue in a very captivating manner. The plates depict the views of the harbours and ports of Edermo (modern Erimo) and Hakodate, plans of the special facilities built for the negotiations, and a portrait of Takadaya Kahei. Rikord’s book supplements the book by Golovnin, titled “Captivity in Japan During the Years 1811, 1812, 1813” (SPb., 1816). Only one copy found in Worldcat (University of Michigan).

[GREAT GAME OVER CASPIAN BASIN] [2] MURAVYOV, N.N. Puteshestvie v Turkmeniyu i Khivu v 1819 i 1820 godakh, gvardeyskogo generalnogo shtaba kapitana Nikolaya Muravyova, poslannogo v sii strany dlia peregovorov [i.e. Travel to Turkmenia and Khiva in 1819 and 1820 of Nikolay Muravyov, Captain of the General Staff of the Guard, Who was Sent to These Countries for Negotiations]: [In 2 vols]. 4 TRAVEL

With: Atlas k puteshestviyu v Turkmeniyu i Khivu gvardeyskogo generalnogo shtaba kapitana Nikolaya Muravyova… [i.e. Atlas to the Travel to Turkmenia and Khiva of Nikolay Muravyov, Captain of the General Staff of the Guard, With Five Portraits, Six Views, Two Plans, Two Tables, Two Maps and a Note by the Russian Captives]. St. Petersburg: V tipografii Avgusta Semena, 1822. [8], viii, 3-182; [2], 145 pp. Atlas: [3] pp., 17 plates and maps. 8vo (text), folio (atlas). Atlas in contemporary brown quarter leather binding with marbled boards and gilt lettered label on the spine; two vols. of text bound together in a modern quarter leather matching the atlas. Atlas with the spine repaired (with patches of leather attached), and remnants of old library stamps on the title page, vol. 1 of the text with a mild stain on the title page and occasional foxing; overall a very good set.

''RARE FIRST EDITION of this important account by an early Russian player in the so-called Great Game to develop trade and influence in the Caspian Basin and . ... A French was published in 1823, a German one in 1825, and an English translation was published in Calcutta in 1871'' (Christie’s). In the summer of 1819 Muravyov, set out from the shores of the Caspian for the city of Khiva disguised as Turcoman tribesman. His mission was to open up commercial contact with the khanate, assess the strength of its defenses, and discover whether Russian slaves were still being held there. Muravyov was imprisoned on the orders of the Khan when he reached his destination. After several weeks, he was granted an audience with the Khan and shortly afterwards, accompanied by a small group of Khivan envoys, he returned to Russia. Summoned to St Petersburg, he was able to brief the Tsar in detail on every aspect of his journey, in particular his discovery that some 3,000 Russians were being held in pitiful conditions of servitude, a revelation that was to provide the Russians with an excellent pretext for their subsequent expansion into Central Asia. The first text volume contains Muravyov’s travel diary, the second – 5 TRAVEL detailed analysis of the state of the Khiva khanate and the adjacent lands in the early 19th century (geography, relief, flora and fauna, climate, native tribes, main cities, government and civil wars, finance, trade and industries, army, religion, manners and customs et al.). The atlas includes large folding maps of the Eastern shores of the Caspian Sea and of the Khiva khanate illustrating Muravyov’s journey, views of Khiva and desert fortresses, portraits of the leaders of the Khiva khanate, and others.

[FIRST RUSSIAN JOURNEY TO THE KHANATE OF KOKAND] [3] NAZAROV, F.M. Zapiski o nekotorykh narodakh i zemliakh srednei chasti Azii Filippa Nazarova, otdel’nogo sibirskogo korpusa perevodchika, posylannogo v Kokant v 1813 i 1814 godakh [i.e. Notes on People and Lands in the Central Part of Asia by Filipp Nazarov, a Translator of the Special Siberian Corps Who was sent to Kokand in 1813 and 1814]. St. Petersburg: pri Imperatorskoi Akademii Nauk, 1821. [2], 98 pp. 8vo. Contemporary brown quarter leather with marbled boards and gilt tooled title on the spine. Paper bookplate of H.J. Melin on the bottom margin of the 17th page. Overall a very good copy.

First edition. Very rare Russian imprint with only six paper copies found in Worldcat. This early work, related to the Great Game describes one of the first Russian journeys to the Khanate of Kokand, which was little known before. The first edition quickly became a rarity in Russia; the second edition was published only in 1968. The book was written by Filipp Nazarov, a translator of the Special Siberian Corps of the Russian army. In 1813 Nazarov was sent to Kokand in order to settle the incident of the murder of a Kokand ambassador who had been killed in the Russian-Kazakh border town Petropavlovsk while returning home from . Accompanied by a caravan of Russian merchants and laden with gifts to the Khan of Kokand from the Russian Emperor, Nazarov departed from Omsk in May 1813. 6 TRAVEL

He proceeded to Petropavlovsk, Suzak, Chimkent (modern Shymkent, all three are now in Kazakhstan), Tashkent and Kokand (both now in Uzbekistan), stayed in the Fergana Valley for about a year, and returned to Russia via Ura-Tube (modern Istaravshan) and Khujand (both now in Tajikistan). His travel notes include detailed and sometimes romantic descriptions of the regions he passed, a brief historical overview of the Khanate of Kokand, notes on the administration system, trade, manners and customs, sports, and music of the local people et al. Nazarov’s description of the Kazakh, Uzbek and Tajik people is especially valuable due to his fluency in the Turkic languages. The publication of the Zapiski was sponsored by N.P. Rumiantsev (1754-1826), Russian Foreign Minister and Imperial Chancellor, a prominent patron of arts, collector and bibliophile.

[4] [FIRST RUSSIAN DESCRIPTION OF BEIJING] IAKINF [BICHURIN, N.Y.]. Opisanie Pekina, s prilozheniem plana sei stolitsy, sniatogo v 1817 godu. Perevedeno c kitaiskago monakhom Iakinfom [i.e. Description of Beijing, Supplemented with the Plan of this Capital, Taken in 1817. Translated from Chinese by Monk Iakinf]. St. Petersburg: Tip. A. Smirdina, 1829. T.p., xvi, 130, [2] pp. 8vo. Contemporary Russian brown mottled full leather binding, spine with gilt tooled ornaments and gilt lettered title label, recased and recornered, with new endpapers. Without the folding engraved plan that isn’t present in almost all known copies. Main text with period ink notes in Chinese characters and Russian, likely made by Iakinf himself and thus this might be his personal working copy. Title page remargined in the gutter. Otherwise a very good copy.

First edition. Very rare. This is one of the first books by the father of Russian sinology archimandrite Iakinf (Bichurin) and the first translation to a European language of Wu Changyuan’s “Chenyuan shilue” (“Summary of

7 TRAVEL knowledge of the Imperial City,” first published in China in 1788), supplemented with Iakinf’s lengthy “Preface” describing the location, structure, history and main sites of Beijing. The translator also supplemented the main text with his own observations. Our copy contains numerous period manuscript notes in Chinese characters and in Russian, made by a contemporary Russian sinologist, probably by Iakinf himself. Chinese characters most likely show the correct Chinese names of the sites given in Cyrilic transliteration. Notes in Russian supplement the main text. Note on p. 42 (in translation): “There are a lot of common people living in the city, for that reason gates Dun-In-Myn, Si-An-Myn and Di-An-Myn although are closed, but not locked, so that people sent for a doctor or a midwife could pass them freely at any time.” Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin better known under his monastic name Iakinf, was one of the founding fathers of sinology. For 14 years he served in the Russian Orthodox church mission in Beijing, translated a number of ancient and medieval Chinese manuscripts, which had hitherto been unknown in Europe. Only six paper copies were found in Worldcat (British Library; University of London; Yale University; New York Public Library; Columbia University, New York; University of Leiden). Our copy lacks a plan of Peking, just as all copies from the mentioned public depositories in the West (the copy of the British library doesn’t specify the amount of pages and illustrations). [FIRST TRANSLATION OF THREE [5] IMPORTANT CHINESE HISTORY BOOKS] IAKINF [BICHURIN, N.Y.]. Opisanie Chzhungarii i Vostochnogo Turkestana v drevnem i nyneshnem sostoyanii. Perevedeno s kitaiskago monakhom Iakinfom [i.e. Description of Dzungaria and Eastern Turkestan in its Ancient and Modern State. Translated from Chinese by Monk Iakinf]. St. Petersburg: Tip. Karla Kreya, 1829. xlvi, 90; [2], 91-270, [1] pp. 8vo. With four hand coloured lithographed plates. Both parts with period ink inscriptions on the title pages “E. bibl. Steph. Chotovitsky.” Graphite and occasional blue pencil markings and notes 8 TRAVEL in text (in prerevolutionary Russian orthography). Contemporary half leather binding with marbled boards, gilt tooled mounted spine; with new endpapers. Title pages with minor expert repair of blank parts, one repair affecting one letter, light foxing of the text. Otherwise a very good copy.

First edition. Rare. An important work by the famous Russian sinologist archimandrite Iakinf, the first translation into a European language of three important Chinese sources on the history and contemporary state of so-called “Western Lands,” or Chinese Turkestan (modern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China). The book describes the ancient history of the Western Lands as early as 126 B.C., and their modern state, and is based on three original Chinese sources: “Se yu chuen” (“Narration about the Western Lands”), a portion of the “Tscen Han shoo” by Pan Koo (“History of the early Han dynasty”), and “Se yu vuin tzeen lŭh” (“Notes about seen and heard in the Western Lands”). The book opens with Iakinf’s preface, followed by an alphabetic index of ancient geographical names clarifying their present location. The main text is commenced with a table of distances between military stations in Chinese Turkestan, and is supplemented with texts of different government regulations and statutes regarding the region (about Chinese exiles and criminals sent for a settlement there, about duties and customs, about the possessions of the Turkestan princes allowed to be taken during travelling et al.), and with genealogical lists of the princes and rulers of the lands in the Eastern Turkestan. Coloured lithographed plates depict a Kalmykian warrior and his wife, an inhabitant of the area near Bukhara, and a Turkestan girl. Both title pages bear period ink owner’s inscriptions most likely made by Stepan Fomich Khotovitsky (1796-1885) – famous Russian doctor of medicine, gynecologist, professor of the Medical-Surgical Academy in Moscow and the founder of pediatrics in Russia. Only eight copies found in Worldcat.

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[6] [YENISEY DURING THE SIBERIAN GOLD RUSH] KRIVOSHAPKIN, M.F. Yeniseyski okrug i yego zhizn [i.e. The Yeniseysky District and Its Life / Published by the Russian Geographical Society on the funds of V.A. Kokorev]. St. Petersburg: Imp. Rus. geogr. o-vo, na izhdivenii V.A. Kokoreva, 1865. [4], v, [4], 378; [2], 188, 68 pp. 8vo. With two folding lithographed plates and a folding lithographed map. Contemporary quarter leather binding with marbled boards and gilt lettered title on the spine. 19th century Russian library stamp on the title page, minor foxing of several leaves. Otherwise a very good clean copy.

Detailed comprehensive description of the Yeniseysky district (northern part of the Eastern Siberian Yeniseysk Governorate in tsarist Russia, modern Krasnoyarsk Krai) made during the Siberian gold rush. The author was a local doctor, traveler and ethnographer, the founder of the Yeniseysk city hospital Mikhail Krivoshapkin. The book is based on his extensive travels across the region and was published by the Russian Geographical Society. In 1866 Krivoshapkin was awarded with a small gold medal of the Russian Geographical Society for his work. Apart from an extensive description of the geography, climate and administrative division of the district, the book contains interesting observations and notes of the gold bearing regions and settlements, methods of extracting gold, prospectors and their life, Siberian system of prisons and exile settlements, natives and their way of life, members of Russian religious sects inhabiting the region et al. The second part of the book is entirely dedicated to the local animals and fish, and methods of hunting and fishing. The supplements contain information about the amount of furs and mammoth bone brought as a tax or sold to the government by the natives in 1846-1853, meteorological observations made in Yeniseysk in 1852-1860, and a dictionary of local words used in the region. The book is illustrated with a detailed map of the gold deposits in the Yeniseysk district, as well as two plates showing various traps and hunting devices used in the Siberian taiga. The Siberian gold rush started in 1828 when gold was found on the 10 TRAVEL

Berikul River (Kuznetsk Alatau Range). In the 1830s gold was also discovered in the Western Siberia, Yeniseysk Governorate, and the Trans Baikal region. The peak of the Siberian gold rush was in the 1840-1850s when over 30,000 prospectors worked in the region. [FIRST RUSSIAN TO EXPLORE TURKESTAN] [7] PASHINO, P.I. Turkestanskii krai v 1866 g.: Putevye zametki [i.e. Turkestan in 1866. Itinerary]. St. Petersburg: Tip. Tiblen i K., 1868. [8], 176, [5] pp., 20 ill., 1 map. 4to. Modern quarter-leather binding with gilt- lettering on the spine. Very slight foxing, small tear of the one list, lack of three tissue papers. A fine bright clean copy.

A beautiful edition of the very interesting life-stories of ordinary people and their customs. With 20 two-colored lithographed plates by A. Gine depicting Turkestan, Tashkent, Khujand, 35 wood-cut vignettes by A. Daugel and colored map of Turkestan by K. Struve. The map is of special interest as it is the first accurate map of the region since it became possible to travel there without danger. Pashino Petr Ivanovich (1838-1891), was a Russian explorer of the East and a writer. After many requests he was given permission to make a trip across India to Turkestan in order to investigate the current political mood in these areas and to explore the life of the population and its character. He travelled incognito (i.e. in Muslim dress, with a shaved head) and complied with all Muslim rites, a practice that saved his life once in Afghanistan. The structure of the Turkestan region included the land of modern states like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In the west, Turkestan, attached to the in 1867, formed Turkestan province. In 1886, this new territory officially became known as Turkestan. The book contains a description of the life of the Kirghiz people, of prairies and urban inhabitants. Prior to the publication of this work in the Russian press, almost nothing had appeared about Turkestan. At that time it was the only detailed description of the newly conquered territory and consequently it had great success. 11 TRAVEL

[8] [RUSSIAN EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER] Istoriya reki Amura, sostavlennaya iz obnarodovannykh istochnikov. S planom reki Amura [i.e. History of the Amur River Compiled from the Published Sources. With a Plan of the Amur River]. St. Petersburg: Tip. E. Veimara, 1859. 148 pp. Small 8vo. With a large folding lithographed map. Contemporary Russian quarter leather binding with marbled paper boards and blind stamped title on the spine. Owners’ ink and pencil notes on the first free endpaper dated 1860 and 1910; owner’s ink inscription dated 1951 on the title page. Binding slightly rubbed, light foxing of the text, Soviet bookshops’ stamps on the rear pastedown, overall a very good copy.

First edition. Very rare. Early anonymous account of the history of the Russian exploration and settlement on the Amur River, printed just one year after the vast territories north of the Amur River had been transferred from China to Russia as a result of the Aigun Treaty (1858). The book is dedicated to count Nikolai Muravyev-Amursky (1809-1881), governor general of Eastern Siberia who actively promoted Russian expansion to the lower reaches of the Amur and signed the treaty from the Russian side. The account starts with the description of the course of the Amur River based on several Russian travel accounts of the 1850s and is followed by a lengthy narration of the exploration of the Amur River by Russian Cossacks in the 17th century, the foundation of Albazin – first Russian settlement on the river (1651), Sino-Russian border conflicts of the 1650-1680s, and the signing of the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) which forced the Russians to leave the lands north of the Amur River to China. The lithographed map at rear delineates the course of the Amur River from its beginning as the confluence of the Shilka and Argun Rivers to its influx into the Strait of Tartary, marking four Russian settlements – Albazin, Blagoveshchensk, Mariinsk, and Nikolaevsk. The map also indicates the areas of settlements of native people inhabiting the Amur River region and is decorated with portraits of four their representatives:

12 TRAVEL an Oroqen, a Manegri, a Gold, and a Nivkh (Gilyak). Our copy bears with an interesting owners’ inscriptions, indicating its belonging to an early Russian settler of the Far East: “Khabarovka, 26th day of June 1860” (“Khabarovka” was the name of city before 1893); “[A book of] Vladimir and Vasily Borislavsky’s. 10 October 1892. Father A. Borislavsky;” “To the museum of Leib Guard Finland Regiment from Podporutchik Vasily Alexandrovich Borislavsky. 5 February 1910.” Only one paper copy found in Worldcat (Stanford University).

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[9] [FIRST APPEARENCE IN PRINT BY DOSTOEVSKY] DOSTOEVSKY, F.M. Bednye liudi [i.e. ] // Peterburgskii sbornik, izdannyi N. Nekrasovym [St. Petersburg Collection Published by N. Nekrasov]. St. Petersburg: V tipografii Eduarda Pratsa, 1846. [4], 560 pp. 8vo. Contemporary half leather binding. Some light foxing/spotting in places, corners worn, spine rubbed with a couple of small abrasions, but sound; early ink ownership inscription to the front free endpaper, later bookplate of A. V. Leont’ev to front pastedown.

First edition, containing (on pp. [1]–166) Dostoevsky’s first novel, Poor Folk. ''No debut in has been described more vividly than that of Dostoevsky, and few, in truth, created so widespread and sensational a stir. Dostoevsky’s account is well known, though he considerably exaggerates and sentimentalizes his own innocence and naiveté. “Early in the winter [of 1845], suddenly, I began to write Poor Folk, my first novel; before that I had never written anything. Having finished the novel, I did not know what to do with it, and to whom it should be submitted.” The truth … is a good deal different. Dostoevsky knew very well what he wished to do with his novel … ‘There can be no doubt, however, about what occurred when the novel was ready. Grigorovich [the writer Dmitry Grigorovich, 1822–1900] was profoundly impressed and moved by the work; he took it to Nekrasov; and both young literati shed tears over the sad plight of Dostoevsky’s characters. Acting on the impulse of the moment, they rushed to Dostoevsky’s apartment at four o’clock in the morning … to convey their emotion. The next day Nekrasov brought it to Belinsky, who greeted it with equal warmth and appreciation. P. V. Annenkov visited Belinsky while the critic was plunged in Dostoevsky’s manuscript; and he has left a less well known but graphic account of Belinsky’s enthusiasm at his discovery. “On one of my visits to Belinsky, before dinnertime, when he used to rest from his morning writing, I saw him from the courtyard of his house

14 RUSSIAN CLASSICS standing at his parlor window and holding a large copy-book in his hands, his face showing all the signs of excitement. He noticed me, too, and shouted: ‘Come up quickly, I have something new to tell you about.’ ‘You see this manuscript?’ he continued, after we shook hands. ‘I haven’t been able to tear myself away from it for almost two days now. It’s a novel by a beginner, a new talent; what this gentleman looks like and what his mental capacity is I do not know yet, but his novel reveals such secrets of life and characters in Russia as no one before him even dreamed of. Just think of it—it’s the first attempt at a social novel we’ve had, and done, moreover, in the way artists do their work; I mean, without themselves suspecting what will come out of it. The matter in it is simple … but what drama, what types! I forgot to tell you, the artist’s name is Dostoevsky …”’ (Frank, Dostoesvky: the Seeds of Revolt, pp. 137–8). The volume also contains works by Belinsky, Herzen, Maikov, Nekrasov, Odoevsky, Panaev, Sollogub, and Turgenev (Pomeshchik, Tri portreta, and of Byron and Goethe), plus Kroneberg’s translation of . Kilgour. 826. [KARAMAZOV FIRST EDITION] [10] DOSTOEVSKY, F.M. Brat'ia Karamazovy [i.e. The Brothers Karamazov]: [In 2 vol.]. St. Petersburg: Brothers Panteleev, 1881. Vol.1. 509 pp. Vol.2. [2], 699 pp. 8vo. Contemporary half-leather bindings with gilt lettering to the spines. Good condition. Boards are slightly rubbed to the edges. A tape is glued to the p. 256 (Vol.2) not affecting the text.

Very rare, especially in contemporary binding. The first edition of the one of the most important books in the Russian language, a masterpiece of immense influence. This was the final work by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881), it took two years to write and Dostoevsky died in the year it was published. The list of authors this book has influenced is endless – from Freud to Joyce, from Kafka to Cormac McCarthy to Kurt Vonnegut. 15 RUSSIAN CLASSICS

[11] [FIRST APPEARENCE IN PRINT BY CHEKHOV] [CHEKHOV, A.P.] Pis’mo donskogo pomeshchika Stepana Vladimirovicha N. k uchenomu sosedu d-ru Fridrikhu [i.e. A Letter from the Don Landowner Stepan Vladimirovich N., to his Learned Neighbor Dr. Friedrick] // Strekoza. No. 10. 9-go marta [i.e. The Dragonfly. #10. March, 9th]. [St. Petersburg, 1880]. 8pp. Folio. Stab-sewn; old paper repair at head and tail of spine.

Containing Chekhov’s first appearance in print (p. 6), signed ‘....v’. Aged 19, Chekhov had moved to Moscow in August 1879, to begin his medical studies at the University. To help support himself and his family, he submitted short stories to various weeklies. ‘The editors required them to be short and snappy—anecdotes, sketches, quickly spun yarns peopled with stock characters of farce as cuckolds, scatterbrains, lying officials, crooked tradesmen, officers on a spree, butter-fingered dentists, faded old maids... After several rejections he found the following in the Dragonfly [Strekoza] “Letter Box” column among the notes directed at its aspiring authors: “Not bad at all. We shall publish what you have sent. Our blessings on your future work.” Shortly thereafter he received a letter from the magazine informing him he would be paid five kopecks a line, but he had to wait two months before he saw the story, “Letter to a Learned Neighbor,” in print. It was signed “...v.” Nothing more. Anton had no literary ambitions. All he cared about was making some easy money with his pen. The family celebrated his success with an enormous cake, which he bought with his first earnings. Little did he dream then, at twenty, that his true career had just begun’ (Troyat, Chekhov, p. 43).

[12] [THE CHERRY ORCHARD: FIRST APPEARANCE IN PRINT] [CHEKHOV, A.P. Vishnevyi sad [i.e. The Cherry Orchard] // Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya [Collection of the Association ''Znanie''. 1903. Vol. II]. St. Petersburg: Znanie, 1904. 8vo. [4], 318, [2]pp. Original publisher's wrappers. Spine is carefully restored.

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First printing of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Rare in original wrappers. The complete version is included here in the second volume of the ''Znanie'' almanac for 1903, on pp. 29–105, together with pieces by Kuprin, Skitalets, Chirikov, and Yushkevich. This was the last play written by Chekhov and it became his magnum opus and one of the best-known Russian plays ever. The author died later the same year. This is the earliest version of the text. Its first appearance as a discreet volume followed later the same year (St. Petersburg: Marx, 1904) and introduced some minor changes and corrections.

[FIRST EDITION OF OBLOMOV] [13] GONCHAROV, I.A. Oblomov. [In 2 vol.] St. Petersburg: Izdanie D. E. Kozhanchikova, 1859. 4 parts in two volumes. 260, 236; 157, [1], 210 pp. 8vo. Contemporary quarter-leather bindings with gilt-lettering to the spines. Fine condition. Complete with half-titles. Slightly worn corners with small tears, later ink ownership to front free endpaper in each volume, small bookseller's stamp to final page, small tear to p.208 (v.2) repaired with tissue paper. Some foxing throughout, occasional underlining.

Rare first edition. One of the greatest Russian classical novels and an exemplary work of a writing genius. It is the best known novel by (1812-1891). Dostoyevsky considered him an author of high stature, Chekhov once stated that Goncharov was ''...ten heads above me in talent''. Oblomov became a major milestone in the Golden age of Russian literature. Not only it was considered a satire of Russian nobility whose social and economic function was increasingly questioned in mid-nineteenth century in Russia; it gave its name to a fatalistic slothfulness that the hero Oblomov exhibits — oblomovism (oblomovshchina) — which is actually more like a social phenomenon, a display of landlord system in the era of the decay of a serfdom. The issue was so big and important

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it brought up a lively polemics around it. Tolstoy written to his companion in 1859 that ''Oblomov is a capital thing which we haven't seen for a long time. Tell Goncharov that I'm delighted with Oblomov and reading it again. What should be more pleasant to him is that Oblomov's success isn't random but very thorough, healthy, not temporary''. Kilgour. 359, to which WorldCat adds copies at Yale and the New York Public Library only in America.

[14] [BALMONT'S BEST BOOK OF POETRY] BALMONT, K.D. Budem kak solntse: Kniga simvolov [i.e. Let Us Be Like the Sun. The Book of Symbols]. Moscow: Knigoizdatelstvo Skorpion, 1903. [2], 290 pp. 8vo. The copy is in exceptionally fine contemporary half-leather with marbled boards and endpapers and gilt lettering on the spine. Original front wrapper illustrated by Fidus (the famous German symbolist artist Hugo Hoppener) preserved. A fine copy. First edition.

This is the sixth book of poetry by Russian symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont (1867-1942). The book was being written in 1901-1902. In March 1902 the first version of it has been read by the author to the members of G.G. Bakhman's literary circle. The book, notably its erotic section, "Enchanted Grotto", has been severely cut by censors. Decades later scholar V.N. Orlov was the first to have made an attempt to publish it in the original form as an academic edition. The censor Sokolov committed his report to the Saint Petersburg Publishing Department, writing: "Konstantin Balmont's book consists of 205 poems [...] From the censorship's point of view all of them are worthy of attention, since they belong to the so-called symbolism, too many of them being erotic, cynical and even sacrilegious." On March 4 there came the resolution demanding the withdrawal of the book, already pressed and sending it for further examination. The latter's verdict was more favourable even if it demanded several cuts being made in already pressed pages. Budem kak solntse had a great success and in retrospect is seen as his strongest collection. Alexander Blok called it "unique in its unfathomable richness." 18 AUTOGRAPHS

[TOLSTOY SENDS BANNED BOOKS] [15] A telegram from to Stepan Chakhirov signed in Russian ‘Lev Tolstoy’ with an envelope. Telegram reads '19 of October 1909. Yasnaya Polyana. To Stepan Chakhirov. All your questions are well-grounded. I’m sending you books that will answer those questions. These books are now banned so you have to be careful with them not to get yourself in trouble. Lev Tolstoy’. Telegram in a good condition.

Name and address on envelope are written in Tolstoy’s hand as well. (Tiflis, Kommercheskoe uchilische, 8y klass, 1 otd). The envelope in good condition with a postage stamp. The bleak stain not affecting the text. The telegram was sent from Tolstoy aged 81 to one of his followers – 13 year old Stepan Chagirov (1896-1972) who at that time was studying in Commercial school in Tiflis. Apparently Tolstoy was sending him the books written by him published outside of Russia that were still banned in 1909. Chagirov lived to be an accountant, was participating in both Civil War and WWII. The item is coming from Chagirov’s family.

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[16] [KOROLEV'S AUTOGRAPH] Sergey Korolev's signature and corrections on a technical paper ''Specifications of the electric equipment of a glider plane SK-7''. 14th of July, 1935. [3] pp. 25х18 cm. Fine condition. Light tears of the edges.

Sergey Korolev (1906-1966) was the Soviet engineer and spacecraft designer who now considered the father of practical astronautics and the founder of the Soviet space program. He led Soviet efforts to build and test the nation's first rockets in the 1930s and was later responsible for building the Vostok capsule used for the first human spaceflight by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961. Korolev is credited with many technological discoveries that became widely used in space exploration and military defence. Like in Germany and United Stated the Russian organizations by the early 1930s were testing liquid-fueled rockets of increasing size. Reaction Propulsion Scientific Research Institute developed a series of rocket- propelled missiles and gliders during the 1930s, culminating in Korolev's RP-318, Russia's first rocket propelled aircraft. It started in 1934 when he developed a project (at that time SK) for so called 'planerlet' (motor glider) — a heavier-than-air aircraft with eight seats and low-power engine without independent takeoff. The idea of creating such an apparatus was based on the growing need of national economy in aircrafts. A planerlet was supposed to combine advantages of a plane and a glider. Korolev was working on his project mostly by himself in the evenings and at nights. He was almost seriosly considering that one doesn't need to sleep every night. With the help of a few other engineers the first construction was soon finished and successfully tested. Later newly developed SK-9 became the basis for Korolev's project of a rocket- powered aircraft.

20 THEATRE, MUSIC AND FOLK ART

[RUSSIAN LUBOK] [17] DENISOV, V. Voina i lubok [i.e. The War and Lubok]. Petrograd: Novyi zhurnal dlya vsekh, 1916. [6, 42] pp., ill. 4to. The title in French on the back of the title page. Original illustrated publisher's wrappers. A fine copy.

This is a feature article on evolution of Russian lubok since 17th century to the First World War. Lubok is a popular print first appeared in Russia late in the 17th century and was widely used for the decoration of homes and inns. Early examples were woodcuts, later engravings and lithography from the middle of the 19th century. The majority of them are now lost due to the ephemeral nature of paper. There's a particular emphasis in this book on First World War lubok pictures. It was used to present german army in a satirical manner while portraying the Russian peasants as the heroes of the war. During WWI luboks were made not only by people but by famous artists as well like K. Malevich, V. Mayakovskiy, D. Burliuk etc.

[THE FIRST STAGING OF BULGAKOV'S PLAY] [18] BULGAKOV, M. Dni Turbinyh [i.e. The Days of the Turbins] (The playbill for the perfomance). Moscow, 1926. [4] p. 8vo. The emblem of the MHAT () on the first page. The date '7th of October 1926' is written on the first page in ink. The corrections in the list of artists by the same hand. Traces from foldings. Otherwise good condition.

A rare survival of the premier perfomance of Bulgakov’s masterpiece and one of the most controversial Russian plays of XXth century. The story behind the staging is famous: in april of 1925 Bulgakov 21 THEATRE, MUSIC AND FOLK ART

was invited to MHAT by the chief director of the theatre who suggested that novel ‘Belaya gvardiya’ should be turned into a play. The idea met author’s approval and as a result the play appeared 1,5 years later on the stage of Moscow Art Theatre – the opening night was on 5th of October 1926. It’s still how to understand how the play about the White Guard officers managed to get a place in repertoire of the main theatre of the country but the success was overwhelming – in the season 1927/28 there were 108 performances of 'Dni Turbinyh' – that was more than any other play in Moscow. The lines for the tickets were outstandingly long. In the meantime critics gave it the cold shoulder – it was reprobated in every newspaper and magazine of the country. Two seasons later Bulgakov claimed that he collected 298 negative reviews and 3 positive ones. In the spring of 1927 all the plays by Bulgakov including this one were excluded from the theaters. Later the play was allowed and again disallowed for staging due to complicated relationships between Bulgakov and Stalin. During Bulgakov’s life the text of ‘Dni Turbinyh’ was never allowed to appear in book for just like the novel it was based on – ‘The White Guard’. ‘Dni Turbinyh’ was first printed in Russia in 1955.

[19] [RIKHTER'S AUTOGRAPH]

Sviatoslav Richter. Playbill for a concert at Palais de Chaillot in in 1961. 8vo. The front wrapper is signed in russian: “To Natasha for good memories of our meetings at O.L.K.I. Richter”. Good condition.

Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) was one of the brightest pianists of XX century. He only performed in USSR for a while and this was his first visit to France.

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[COLLECTION OF FOLK UKRANIAN SONGS COMPILED BY LESYA UKRAINKA] [20] Narodnye melodii, z golosu Lesi Ukrainki / zapisav i uporyadiv Kliment Kvitka. Chast I [i.e. Folk Songs, from the Voice of Lesya Ukrainka, Written down and Organized by Kliment Kvitka. Part I]. Kiev, 1917. [1], 128 pp.: music. 8vo. Original publisher's wrappers. Litographed edition. Spine rubbed with small tears, wrappers is unattached to the text, some creases to the covers.

First edition of the first collection. Scarce. Lesya Ukrainka (1871-1913) was a Ukranian writer, translator, civil activist. Besides poetry and journalism she was collecting folk music. This part of her work was very fruitful and valuable for national science and literature. Most of those folk songs she kept in her head. She first started to remember them when she was just a girl. After her death in 1913 her husband Kliment Kvitka published 225 songs which he collected from her music records made in 1907-1908. The second part came out in 1918. There are 18 groups of songs in this collection: spring games, dance songs, lullabies, songs to fairy tales, children songs, wedding songs, cossack songs, everyday, historic, Christmas songs etc.

23 TRANSLATIONS

[21] [FIRST BOOK IN RUSSIAN ABOUT BYRON] [MEDWIN, T.] Zapiski o lorde Bairone [i.e. Journal of the Conversations of Lord Byron]: [In 2 vols]. St. Petersburg: tip. N. Grecha, 1835. Vol.1. [4], VIII, 197 pp., [1] front.; Vol.2. [4], 153 pp. 8vo. Lord Byron's portrait on the frontispiece. Two volumes in contemporary quarter-leather bindings, with gilt-lettering on spines. Labels on spines, some rubbings to covers, pre-revolutionary library stamps (Tallinn), foxing.

Rare, especially with the portrait. This is the first edition of the work by Thomas Medwin which was noted during a residence with Byron at Pisa in 1821-1822. This is also a first book in Russian about Lord Byron. Thomas Medwin (1788-1869), poet, Percy Shelley's cousin and close friend of Lord Byron. Published in late October 1824, Medwin’s Journal of the Conversations of Lord Byron was the first of the book- length memoirs to appear following Byron’s death in April. The influence of Byron in Russia is difficult to underestimate. Almost all of the notable poets of the first half of XIX century were influenced by him; his books were translated during his lifetime and afterwards. (1799-1837) was influenced by Byron. He was interested in reading this book as soon as it came out. He asked his brother to send him a copy to Mikhailovskoe in 1825 but the censor committee didn't allow the distribution of both the English and French versions of the text. The first Russian translation came out 10 years later and the same year Pushkin wrote an article 'On Byron and significant things' presumably influenced by this book that was in his library (Modzalevsky. 696).

24 TRANSLATIONS

[EARLY ILLUSTRATED PARADISE LOST] [22] MILTON, J. Poteryannyi rai. Poema... S priobshcheniem poemy Vozvrashchennyi rai. Novyi perevod s angliiskogo podlinnika. V chetyryokh chastyakh [i.e. Paradise Lost. With Paradise Regained. New translation from English original. In four parts]. Moscow: u knigopradavtsa Vasiliya Loginova, 1827-1828. P.1. [6], XIII, [3], 198 pp., 1 front., 4 ill.; P.2. 171 pp., 3 ill.; P.3. 215 pp., 4 ill.; P.4. 152 pp. 8vo. Without binding. The general title-page dated 1829. Stains, soilings of the pages, repair of the small tear of the frontispiece, otherwise a good copy.

Rare, especially complete. With 13 plates and Milton's portrait. Illustrations 3,4,7-9 were engraved by the outstanding Russian engraver and cartographer Andrei Savinkov. 'Paradise Lost' is one of the most well-known poems in the English language. There were numerous editions in Russian in the late XVIII-early XIX century but this one has more illustrations than any other

[THE FIRST IN GEORGIAN] [23] SHAKESPEARE, W. Otello, venecieli mavri [i.e. Othello, the Moore of Venice / Translated by Ivane Machabeli]. Tbilisi, 1888. 138, 2 pp. 8vo. In later cloth binding. Good condition.

The first edition of the first Georgian translation. Rare. Attempts to translate Othello were first undertaken in the 1840s as there are manuscript versions of them known in the national archives. However, the first published translation was this one by Ivan Machabeli (1854-1898) the novelist, translator and editor-in-chief of Iveria and

25 TRANSLATIONS

Droeba magazines. His lifelong ambition was to translate all the plays by Shakespeare into Georgian, he started with ‘’; his second work was ‘Othello’. The 1880s in Georgia was a time of rising interest in of the theatre. So the translation of ‘Othello’ was long anticipated. Kutaisi theatre was planning to stage it as soon as the translation was completed and Machabeli sent the text of the first two acts in 1887 as soon as they were done. The rehearsals started but Kote Meskhi the director in chief of the theatre couldn’t wait for Machabeli to complete his work so he asked his brother David Meskhi to complete it. In the end the staging used this compiled translation and failed. Kote Meskhi wrote an apology to Machabeli and a year later the full translation was used on the stage of the Kutaisi theatre. Macahbeli’s translation is considered one of the best to this day and is often used in todays books by Shakespeare in Georgian. Not found in the Worldcat.

[FIRST SEPARATE EDITION IN RUSSIAN OF [24] THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY] WILDE, O. Portret Doriana Greia / Per. A. Mintslovoi [i.e. The Picture of Dorian Gray / Translated by A. Mintslova]. Moscow: Grif, 1906. [22], 157 pp.: ill.; 28,5x22,3 cm. Large 8vo. Copy #225 of 500. Modern half- leather binding. The front cover of original publisher's wrappers is preserved in the binding. A near fine copy. A few repairs to the front cover and two first pages, pale stains to the edges of some pages.

The first separate edition in Russian of the famous Wilde novel. Illustrations by Modest Durnov. Rare. Modest Aleksandrovich Durnov (1867-1928) was a Russian artist and architect, later professor at Vkhutemas. He was also notable in the beginning of the century as a celebrated Moscow dandy and decadent. According to some reports he met Oscar Wilde during his trip to London. Wilde was his favourite author, a fact that eventually led to his creation of this beautiful illustrated edition. 26 TRANSLATIONS

The translator and occultist, Anna Mintslova (1865–1910), whose life remains something of a mystery, was close to the circle of famous Symbolist writers and even influenced Vyacheslav Ivanov, Andrei Bely and Maksimilian Voloshin. Oscar Wilde became a very popular writer in Russia in the early 1900s, although he was practically unknown during his lifetime. The first complete works was printed in 1907 along with separate editions of other works. This book became one of the first illustrated 'Dorian Grays' printed anywhere.

[FIRST ILLUSTRATED RUSSIAN EDITION OF THREE MEN IN THE BOAT] [25] JEROME, J.K. Troye v lodke. (Ne schitaya sobaki) / Per. s angl. E. Tikhomandritskoi [i.e. Three Men in the Boat. (To Say Nothing of the Dog) / Translated by E. Tikhomandritskaya]. St. Petersburg; Moscow: t- vo M.O. Volf, [1907]. [4], IV, VI, 296 pp., 1 front., 19 ill. 8vo. Original red cloth gold and black stamped binding, decorated endpapers in black and gold. Restorations to the spine, covers rubbed, some spots and light wear of the pages.

This edition with 20 plates by A. Benu was published in the well- known book series by M. Volf — Golden library (Zolotaya biblioteka). The second Russian and first illustrated Russian edition of the most famous comic novel by Jerome K. Jerome which was translated numerous times, in many different editions, to say nothing of film adaptations. This copy was published during Jerome's lifetime. Not found in the Worldcat.

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[26] [UNRECORDED FIRST RUSSIAN TRANSLATION OF JAMES JOYCE] JOYCE, J. Rabiy bunt [i.e. Revolt of the Slaves, original English title, 'Counterparts'] translated by I. Kashkin // Angliya. Sbornik novih proizvedeniy [i.e. . A Collection of Recently Published Stories]. Moscow: Izvestiya, 1924. pp. 3-14. (Biblioteka Krasnoy Nivy. Vypusk. 9. [i.e. The red harvest library. V. 9]). 23x15 cm. The short story has two illustrations. Good condition. Illustrated wrappers. Spine is carefully restored.

Very rare. Unknown in the West. This short story from Dubliners appeared in a collection of works by contemporary British authors. It came out as a supplement to the magazine 'Krasnaya Niva'. The standard authorities on translations of James Joyce into Russian, The reception of James Joyce in Europe (2004) and Slocum and Cahoon's A bibliography of James Joyce do not list this edition. The first Russian translation of Joyce according to them is the extract from Ulysses published in the almanac 'Novinki Zapada' in 1925 (see our catalog for the Boston Fair 2014, #22). This may be the first ever edition of any part of Dubliners that was illustrated. An unknown artist provided two drawings to illustrate Counterparts in this edition. This issue also contains two stories by Katherine Mansfield and one by Joseph Conrad among others. OCLC locates one copy in USA (Columbia).

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[FIRST RUSSIAN ORIGIN OF SPECIES] [27] DARWIN, Ch. O proischozhdenii vidov... / Perevel s anglijskago S.A. Rachinsky [i.e. On the Origin of Species / translated from English by S.A. Rachinsky]. St. Peterburg: Glazunov, 1864. XIV, 399, [1] pp. + 4 pp. of advertisements + 1 plate. 8vo. Contemporary quarter leather binding with marbled paper boards and gilt stamped title on the spine . A fine copy with very light foxing.

Very rare in the West. The earliest references to Darwin’s theory in Russian periodicals appeared in 1861, but this book was the first by Darwin to be printed in Russian translation and it sold out within a year (1200 copies). This first edition was followed the next year by a second and it went through five further editions in the XIXth century. In Russia, Darwinism had a profound influence not only on the different sciences, but also on philosophy, economic and political thought, and the great literature of the period. Both Tolstoy and Dostoevsky referenced Darwin in their most important works, as did numerous other thinkers of the period. Sergey Rachinsky, professor of plant physiology at St Petersburg University, began translating the Origin in 1862 and wrote an important article on the theories presented in it while working on the translation. The article and this translation of the Origin into Russian were responsible for the positive reception and rapid, widespread adoption of the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection in Russia.

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[28] [PALOV’S MAIN WORK] PAVLOV, I.P. Lektsii o rabotie glavnikh pishtshevaritelnikh zhelyos [i.e. Lectures on the Work of the Principal Digestive Glands]. St. Petersburg: I.N. Kushnereff & Ko. 1897. [6], II, 223 p. 8vo. Contemporary owner’s cardboards, original wrapper is glued to the front board. The owner’s inscription (dated 15/XII/1902) on the wrapper. The private stamp of L.E. Gakkel on the title verso. Good clean copy. The binding is slightly shattered, one of the signatures can be detached. The edges of the binding are rubbed, the paper on corner of the rear board is missing.

Rare. First edition. The ground-breaking work in the field of physiology. Undoubtedly one of the main works of Russian science. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian physiologist who contributed to many areas of neurological sciences. During the 1890s he was looking at salivation in dogs as a response to being fed, when he noticed that his dogs would begin to salivate whenever he entered theroom, even when he was not bringing them food. At first he found this something of a nuisance, but what he had accidentally discovered was the phenomenon of classical conditioning. Pavlov performed and directed experiments on digestion, eventually publishing this work after 12 years of research. He won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1904 for his work. His discovery has gained growing significance in political practices and sociological sciences. He concluded that even such concepts as freedom, curiosity and religion were conditioned reflexes of the brain. ''Essentially, only one thing in life is of real interest to us— our psychical experience,'' he said in his Nobel address. ''Its mechanism, however, was and still is shrouded in profound obscurity. All human resources—art, religion, literature, philosophy, and the historical sciences—all have joined in the attempt to throw light upon this darkness. But humanity has at its disposal yet another powerful resource—natural science with its strict objective methods.''

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[THE FATHER OF RUSSIAN PHYSIOLOGY] [29] SECHENOV, I.M. Refleksy golovnogo mozga [i.e. Reflexes of the Brain]. St. Petersburg: A. Golovachov, 1866. [4], II, 186 pp. 8vo. Contemporary quarter-leather binding. The name of the author and the book title as well as owner’s initials in gilt on the spine. Owner’s private stamp on the title. Some side foxing on the first seven pages of the text and on the last five. The top of the spine has been restored. Overall copy is in good condition.

Very rare. First edition of the ground-breaking work that established the basis of the Russian School of Physiology. Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov (1829-1905) single-handedly created this field of Russian science, by introducing electrophysiology and neurophysiology into medical laboratories. This is one of the main works by Sechenov. Originally an article with the same name was to be printed in '''', the most influential periodical of the time, but that was forbidden by the censor, and it was published in 1863 in the medical journal, ''Meditsinsky vestnik''. The expanded book version, now a classic text, appeared four years later. This work marked the beginning of the era of objective physiology. Sechenov demonstrated that since reflexes cannot occur without external stimuli, physiological activity is brought about by stimuli that act on the sense organs. He made a significant contribution to our knowledge of reflexes by determining that reflexes depend not only on current stimuli but also on past influences. Sechenov believed that the retention of vestiges in the central nervous system is the basis for memory; inhibition is the mechanism for the selective control of behavior; and the operation of the amplifying mechanism of the brain is the foundation for motivation. Ivan Pavlov, the most famous of Sechenov’s pupils, called him ''the father of Russian physiology''.

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[30] [RUSSIAN INVENTOR OF THE RADIO] Zhurnal russkogo fiziko-khimicheskogo obschestva [i.e. The Journal of the Russian Physico-Chemical Society] / Vol. XXVII-XXVIII. Chast’ fizicheskaya [i.e. Physical Section]. St. Petersburg: V. Demakov, 1895. 8vo. Bound in one volume. Contemporary quarter-leather. Gilt lettering on the spine. Good condition. Spine is slightly rubbed.

In Russian tradition, Alexander Popov (1859-1909) is considered the inventor of the radio and this paper is the reason. The article 'On the relation of metallic powders to electrical oscillations' was published in February of 1896 – months before Guillermo Marconi applied for his world-knowned patent 2nd of June 1896. In this article, the principle of 'wireless telegraph' is described for the first time. Popov presented his radio receiver to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society on May 7th, 1895. On this day, Popov performed a public demonstration of transmission and reception of radio waves used for communication at the Russian Physical and Chemical Society, using his coherer. This paper followed half a year later with the its description of the apparatus and the possible ways of using it, including the main ‘signaling at great distances by electric vibrations of high frequency’. Then on 25th of March 1896, Popov managed to transmit the first message by radio signal – it was the name ‘Heinrich Heinz’ in Russian. The distance was 250 meters. There are two reasons why Popov’s invention was disregarded in the western tradition. Firstly, he hasn’t applied for the patent of his invention immediately as he made the discovery. It’s well-known that Marconi traveled to England and demonstrated his apparatus to the local authorities which helped him to promote it. Secondly, Popov’s early experiments transmitted the signals only for 250-500 meters, while Marconi managed to transmit the signal for 2.4 km half a year later than Popov. In our copy two issues of the Journal bound together, both with

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important content on Popov’s invention. In the volume XXVII (it came out December 1895) the protocol proceedings of the session of the Physical Section of the Russian Physical Society mentions that Popov demonstrated his apparatus to the members of the society showing how it works. In the Volume XVIII (came out February 1896) the includes Popov’s paper article 'On the relation of metallic powders to electrical oscillations' appears with designs of the apparatus.

[PIONEERS OF SPACE-TRAVEL: [31] GAGARIN AND TSIOLKOVSKY] K.E. TSIOLKOVSKY: Stranitsy velikoy zhizni / Tekst M. Arlozorova, il. A. Kotelnikova [i.e. Pages of a Great Life / Text by M. Arlozorov, illustrated by A. Kotelnikov]. Kaluga: Kn. izd-vo, 1964. 55 pp.: ill. 4vo. A fine copy. Original cloth binding with the decoration in ink. The title page is signed by Yuri Gagarin. Together with: a postcard, ‘The Day of Cosmonautics’ (1965) depicting the monument in Tsiolkovsky’s honor in Kaluga. The postcard is signed by Gagarin. Together with: a photograph of Gagarin visiting Kaluga, the hometown of Tsiolkovsky.

This little collection of three items shows the bond that existed between the main Soviet theorist of space travel—Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935)—and the first man in space—the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968). Tsiolkovsky was the pioneer of cosmonautical theory and his contemporaries considered him more a dreamer than a scientist—the dreamer obsessed by the idea of putting a man in space. Ridiculed at the time Tsiolkovsky nevertheless continued to publish his works and he stood by his belief that space-travel was possible. Yuri Gagarin proved it 26 years after Tsiolkovsky’s death. In 1961, Gagarin laid the first brick of Tsiolkovsky’s museum in Kaluga—the first museum in the world dedicated to cosmonautics.

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[PROMOTING EDUCATION IN THE USSR WITH THE EXAMPLE OF THOMAS EDISON] [32] Bulatov, N.P., Rodin, A.F. Tomas Alva Edison. K 75-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya: 1847-1922 [i.e. Thomas Alva Edison. On his 75th birthday]. Moscow: Otd. shk. rabochih podrostkov Glavprofobra i Tsentr. nauch.- tehn. klub profsoyuzov, [1922]. 48 pp., 1 frontis. (port.). Small 8vo. Original printed wrappers. Fine copy with some rubbing to the wrappers and owner's signature on the title-page.

First edition. Extremely rare. A great combination of the promotion of scientific education and ideological propaganda. This book was published for schools which provided teenagers and young workers with vocational education all over the country. It is a spectacular example of the use of foreign successes (of so-called bourgeois western ideas) for the benefit of those living under the communist regime, in this case promoting education and science among youngsters. Together with many scientists and pioneers in the , Thomas Edison was made a symbol of hard labour and strong will overcoming all challenges in order to succeed. Essentially, it is early communist propaganda making use of an American inventor and entrepreneur. This book includes a brief biography of Edison and guidance for supervisors and teachers on holding a holiday in honor of his birthday. The proposed program of events included speeches and reports about the life and work of the scientist, public readings, dramatizations of aspects of Edison's life-story and demonstrations of his inventions. The book also includes several exemplary poems articulating the virtues of hard work and enthusiasm for technology intended to inspire the young. OCLC locates no copies in USA.

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[33] [FIRST BOOK BY LENIN] LENIN, V. [Ilyin, V.] Razvitie kapitalizma v Rossii. Process obrazovaniya vnutrennego rynka dlya krupnoy promishlennosti [i.e. The Development of Capitalism in Russia. The Process of Formation of a Home Market for Large-Scale Industry]. St. Petersburg: M.I. Vodovozova, 1899. IX, IV, 480, VIII p., table. 8vo. Modern binding. Good condition.

The first edition of the first major work by Lenin. Very rare. The book was written in 1896-99 during the exile years in Siberia. This text was published when the author was only 29. It would help define Russian history in the 20th century. Lenin presents his analysis here of Russian’s economic evolution from feudalism to capitalism. By criticizing soft Marxist and Liberal thought, Lenin marked himself out as a believer in radical revolutionary change. With this work, Vladimir Ulyanov established his reputation as Russia’s leading Marxist theorist. The book went almost unnoticed in the history of world economic thought at the time of its publication, but it was scrutinized with intent 18 years later when came to power. [34] [FIRST RUSSIAN EDITION OF DAS KAPITAL] MARX, K. Kapital: Kritika politicheskoi ekonomii [i.e. Capital: Critique of Political Economy. Vol.1 (all printed) / translated from German]. St. Petersburg: N. P. Polyakov, 1872. [2], XIII, [2], 678 pp. 8vo. Contemporary quarter-leather binding with gilt-lettering on the spine. Slight repairs to the spine, red pencil underscores in text, light rubbing to the covers, very light foxing and stains in text. Otherwise fine.

The first translation to any language of Das Kapital. Scarce.

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The first volume of Das Kapital by Karl Marx was first printed in Hamburg in 1867. The second and the third volumes were issued only in 1885 and 1894 by F. Engels after Marx's death. Russian royal censors permitted the distribution of the book's original edition and later authorized the printing of the Russian translation. Censors assumed that only a few readers would understand Marx's work. They understood that he was a socialist, so they prohibited the printing of his portrait lest readers took it as an endorsement of his views. The Russian working class was underdeveloped and the censors judged that they didn't pose any kind of threat to the regime at this time. Yet the book and its ideas quickly attracted interest among the intelligentsia.The ideas Marx expressed in this book significantly influenced Russian social democrats. Their attempt to put the ideas into practice led to the birth of the Soviet State. Because of the unexpected popularity of the book, and the subsequent ban in the 1890s, this edition of 3000 copies was soon exhausted and the book became very rare. Later, Marx noted the excellence of the Russian translation. In 1880, he wrote to F. Zorge saying that of all countries, Capital had been read and appreciated most fully in Russia.

[THE BOOK THAT ENCOURAGED MARX TO LEARN RUSSIAN] [35] BERVI-FLEROVSKY, V.V. Polozhenie rabochego klassa v Rossii [i.e. The Condition of the Working Class in Russia]. St. Petersburg: N.P.Polyakova, 1869. [6], II, 494 pp. 1 map (carefully restored). 8vo. Contemporary quarter-leather. Good condition.

First edition. Vassily Vasilievich Bervi-Flerovsky’s (1829-1918) main work was nicknamed the Russian Das Kapital; its description of Russian economic reality was thoroughly Marxist. In turn, it influenced Marx himself. He started to learn Russian in 1869 in order to read this book that had already been praised by Engels. Marx was planning to focus heavily on Russia in the third volume of Das Kapital (specifically, on Russian agrarian relations). 36 SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS

Marx commented later: ''The work by Flerovskii is a real discovery for Europe. Russian optimism which has been put about on the continent even by so-called revolutionists, has been mercilessly exposed in this work. The virtues of the book are not diminished if I say that it is in several places not fully up to critical standards, from the purely scholarly point of view. This is a work of a serious observer, a dispassionate laborer, and an impartial critic, a powerful artist, etc...'' Flerovsky was praised widely and the impact he had in Russia was immense. He was one of the ideologues of the narodnichestvo (Populist) movement, living his life in ''voluntary poverty'' along with the peasants and lower classes of Russian society in order better to understand them. His economics and lifestyle earned him widespread support among students and the middle-classes. He was routinely compared to Tolstoy in the extent (though not the nature) of the influence both men exerted on the minds of the people. Most of Flerovsky’s works were banned in Russia as he was an open revolutionary. Though the first edition of this book was banned, it sold so quickly that it was not possible to destroy the whole run; but the second edition, printed in 1872, was completely destroyed (2465 copies). Svodnyi katalog russkoy nelegalnoy i zaprechennoy pechati XIX veka. 187.

37 ARTIST'S BOOK

[36] [PICASSO AND ILIAZD COLLABORATION] ILIAZD. Pirosmanachvili 1914. Pablo Picasso Pointe Seche. Paris: Le Degre Quarante et un, 1972. 36 pp. Small folio. Original vellum binding, with yellow dust-wrapper and preserved in publisher's beige cloth chemise and slipcase. Fine copy. Presentation copy from Iliazd's last wife to Chota Takaishvili.

First edition. One of 78 copies printed on Japon ancien paper, signed in red pencil on the colophon by Iliazd and with the original etching signed by Picasso. The etching is a figure study of the Georgian artist Pirosmanachvili painting at his easel. The dry-point etching was printed by Atelier Lacourière Frélaut. Ilya Zdanevitch, also known as Iliazd, was a Russian artist, typographer, and publisher. He is known as a founder member of what has come to be known as Russian Futurism. He went from futurist books hand-made out of all kinds of material to livres d'artiste. He started to publish them in 1940s. He set up everything by himself but typography in his livres d'artiste is much more strict in contrast to his previous work. Iliazd was well known for creating multiple layers of beautiful paper, which the reader must slowly uncover until they reach the text, like some highly anticipated present. His old friend Picasso illustrated nine of his books. Iliazd returned to his homeland in 1912 and with his brother, artist Kirill Zdanevitch, he met Georgian painter Niko Pirosmanachvili (1862-1918). They became very enthusiatic about him. Iliazd was alarmed by the difficult economic straits that the painter was in and wrote a manifesto to promote his art; it was published in a local paper Zakavkazskaya Rech' in 1913 under the title "Khudozhnik-samorodok" (A natural-born artist). It was his first publication. In June 1914 the journal Vostok published his article "Niko Pirosmanashvili," in which he mythologized the biography of the older artist, linking him with the Silver Age and the Russian avant-garde. 38 ARTIST'S BOOK

"In the summer of 1971, Iliazd decided to reprint the article he convinced his friend Picasso to create this frontispiece of the Georgian painter. The printing was completed and signed by December 1972, four months before Picasso's death" (Johnson, p. 165). This copy comes from the collection of Damian Alaniya. This collector once erased the owner's stamp of the previous owner to whom this copy was presented by the Iliazd's wife with signature on the front endpaper: «Eu souvenir de Ms Zdanevitch pour Chota Takaichvili avec les amitiés Ms Helene Zdanevitch. 1.7.82».

39 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

[37] [ART GROUP OCTOBER] Izofront. Klassovaya bor'ba na fronte prostranstvennykh iskusstv: Sbornik statei obedineniya «Oktyabr'» [i.e. Izofront. Class Warfare on the Front of the Art. Collection of Essays by the Art Group October]. Moscow; Leningrad: Ogiz, 1931. 159, [2] pp.: ill. 8vo. Original cloth binding and dust-jacket. Near fine. Light wear of the dust-jacket.

Oktyabr' (October) was an avant-garde Constructivist group based in Moscow in 1928 (it existed for four years). It included artists, architects, art critics etc. Many of them were constructivists. In October's declarations they polemized with Association of artist of the Revolution. Among the most active members were artists A. and V. Vesnin, M. Ginzburg, A. Deineka, G. Klutsis, L. Lissitzky, D. Moor, S. Eizenstein. Famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera collaborated with October. As a group goal they chose developing industrial forms of art and architecture. They created series of art objects right at the productions of industrial age. Later they published small runs of copies and illustrated collections with essays by the members of the group. In this edition among other articles was published «Photomontage as a new kind of propoganda art» by G. Klutsis. It's interesting that state publishing house (Ogiz) stated that they disagreed with politics and methodology of this book but they were publishing it as a material for a creative discussion.

40 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

[38] [CONSTRUCTIVIST DESIGN FOR PROPAGANDA POEMS] KIRSANOV, S.I. Stikhi v stroyu [i.e. Poetry in the Ranks]. Moscow: Molodaya gvardiya, 1932. 12 pp. 8vo. Original publisher's wrappers. The text is printed on one sheet of paper which is folded to form 12 pages. A very good condition. Few stains and tears.

First edition. Scarce. Design by Nikolai Vasilyevich Ilyin (1894-1954), Russian book artist. He worked as the main artist in the State publshing house (Goslitizdat) since 1930s. He wasn't just an illustrator, he constructed books, created a full image using his knowledge of the polygraphy, different fonts, ornaments, forms etc. This typographic design was intended to enhance the work of the leftist poet. As Ilya Zdanevich said: ''The meaning of a poem changes according to the way in which it is laid out.'' In 1921 Semyon Kirsanov (1906-1972) began writing poetry about the liquidation of illiteracy, Red Army Soldiers, the Revolution, etc. In 1925 he moved to Moscow and became an active member of Mayakovsky's "Lef" movement. Together with Mayakovsky they toured across country with their poetry. In the 1930s he used his poetry to further the propaganda and agitation goals of the Soviet goverment (like this poetic collection). He created slogans for factories and traveled to the Dneproges construction site. Worldcat locates only copy in British Library.

41 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

[DESIGN BY BIGOS] [39] BUDNEVICH, D. Standartizatsiya i sotsialisticheskoye nastupleniye [i.e. Standardization and Socialist Advent]. Moscow: Tekhnika upravleniya, 1932. 141, [3] pp.: ill. 8vo. Original illustrated wrappers. Very good. Wrappers slightly worn, some tears to the spine, bookshop's stamp on the back cover.

Extremely rare. The constructivist design of the wrappers by Sergey Demianovich Bigos (1895-1937) – a talented pupil of V. Favorsky. From early 1930s was lecturing in VHUTEIN. Arrested and executed in 1937. Only several books were designed by him. Not found in the Worldcat.

42 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

[40] [CONSTRUCTIVIST COVER FOR LEFTIST POEMS] RODOV, S.A. Sverennyi vzlet. Stikhi i poemy 1918-1920 [i.e. Collated Start. Poems]. Moscow: Krasnaya nov', 1924. 65, [2] pp. 8vo. Original illustrated wrappers. Very good. Rubbings and some repairs to the wrappers.

Rare. Semen Abramovich Rodov (1893-1968), Russian poet who published a few poetic books in 1920s before leaving poetry for book criticism. Nowadays he is almost forgotten, but at that time he participated in a lot of pro-communist art groups, was editor-in-chief of the literary magazine 'Na postu'. He was the subject of a big article by Khodasevich titled 'Mister Rodov'. This is the last poetic book by the author.

43 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

[THE LEFT FRONT: RODCHENKO AND GAN] [41] PERTSOV, V. Reviziya Levogo Fronta v sovremennom russkom iskusstve [i.e. Revision of the Left Front in Modern Russian Art]. Moscow: Vserossiiskii proletkult, 1925. 147 pp.: ill. 8vo. One of 3000 copies. Original publisher's wrappers. Tears to the edges of the wrappers, loss of the spine, the front cover glued to the title page, some stains on the back cover. Otherwise a good copy.

First and only edition. Scarce. Not only a great example of constructivist book but also a valuable source of gathered information on The Left Front (Levy Front). This edition contains a few photomontages by Alexander Rodchenko and photographs of objects by Aleksei Gan, two leading figures in Russian constructivism, as an illustration to Left Front activity. Pertsov saw Left front as a starting point for building future art culture. He gives some historical details and brief chronology of Russian futurism, key points of the art life (painting, literature, theatre) in 1910-20s which led to creation of the Left front. In the part called Revision the author analyzes all aspects of the Left Front. The book includes review of this Revision by N. Chuzhak where he stated because there were no guides on the LEF, this first synoptical work by Pertsov is very valuable. In conclusion author puts transcript from the first LEF meeting.

44 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

[42] [COVER DESIGN BY MOOR] Dayosh' [i.e. You Give]. #1. 1929. Moscow: Rabochaya Moskva, 1929-1930. Original publisher's wrappers. A fine copy.

Dayosh' was an illustrated magazine each issue of which was dedicated to one particular subject, for example, this one calls on to start a purge of the State apparatus. Richly illustrated issues included photographs and photomontages by A. Rodchenko, B. Ignatovich, D. Debabov, illustrations by D. Moor, A. Deineka, M. Dobrokovskii, V. Liushin. Besides remarkable artists and designers Dayosh' published poems and prose by V. Mayakovsky, S. Kirsanov, N. Aseev and others. Five-year plans were introduced at that period so like other periodicals Dayosh' was focusing on politics and the Soviet economy, industrialization, race with America, political correctness of the new Soviet art and literature, innovation in agriculture and other industries. D. Moor was the professional name of Russian artist Dmitry Stakhievich Orlov (1883-1946). He is known for his political illustrations and propaganda posters (like Death to World Imperialism).

[43] [COVER AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RODCHENKO] Dayosh' [i.e. You Give]. #9. 1929. Moscow: Rabochaya Moskva, 1929-1930. Original publisher's wrappers. A fine copy.

The issue is dedicated to supplying Moscow with milk. It is provided with stunning Rodchenko's photographs. Aleksander Rodchenko (1891-1956) was a well-recognized and very versatile Russian artist. He worked as a painter and graphic designer before turning to photomontage and photography. He was a central exponent of Russian Constructivism, owing much to the pre-Revolutionary work of Malevich and Tatlin.

45 CONSTRUCTIVIST BOOKS

Much of the work of 20th-century graphic designers was directly influenced by Rodchenko's earlier work in the field. This issue is one of the fine examples of his work.

[PHOTOGRAPHS BY RODCHENKO AND POEM BY MAYAKOVSKY] [44] Dayosh' [i.e. You Give]. #14. 1929. Moscow: Rabochaya Moskva, 1929-1930. Original publisher's wrappers. A fine copy.

The issue dedicated to Soviet car industry and richly illustrated with Rodchenko's photographs. The last page of the issue contains Mayakovsky's poem Stikh kak by shofyora (Driver's poem).

See the back cover of this catalog for Dayosh' designs.

46 OLD BELIEVERS

[45] [KEY BOOK OF OLD BELIEVERS] Pomorskiye otvety pustynnozhitelei na voprosy ieromonakha Neofita [i.e. Pomorian Answers]. Moscow: Khristianskaya tipografiya pri Preobrazhenskom bogadelnom dome, 1911. 7, 412 pp.: ill.; 36x23 cm. 4to. Contemporary leather binding. Numerous chromolitographic initials, vignettes, miniature illustrations. Full page colorful frontispiece showing Denisov next to the ornamented title page. Toned side edge. A very good copy. Slight traces of fire on the spine, rare soiling to the pages. One clasp is lost.

First edition. One of the finest examples of Old Believers' printing. This is the synodical work of monks from Vygoretskaya obitel who were led by eminent figure of Pomorian Church Andrei Denisov. He is mostly responsible for the formulation, writing and editing of Otvety. The content of the book is a plain logic and systematized explanation of the "old belief". It is stated in a form of answers to questions given by Hieromonk Neofit. Old believers have the rich tradition of manuscript books – that's why for some time Otvety was circulating only in manuscript form. Also the printing of book was disallowed in Russian empire. That's why the text of Otvety was printed outside of Russia in 1887. This is the first Russian edition which imitates the manuscript – chromolitographic ornaments were made by copying the ornaments of the handwritten Otvety. As a result the printed version of the key book for Old Believers movement became one of the most pictoresque books among those printed in Russia in early XX century. Worldcat locates only one copy in the West (Bavarian State Library).

47 OLD BELIEVERS

[END OF THE WORLD IMAGES] [46] Zhitiye Vasiliya Novogo [i.e. The Life of Vasilii The New]. Moscow: Tipografiya pri Preobrazhenskom bogodelnom dome, 1912. 268 pp.: ill., 45 ill. 8vo. Contemporary wooden binding covered in leather with ornamental stamping. The spine glued with cloth. Rubbed on the edges of the boards. One copper clasp. Tears of the title page. Some pages fall apart and unattached to the binding. Last page is glued to the inside cover. Owner's mark on the last page.

Rare. Another example of Old-Believers fine printing of early XX century. Forty five bright color lithographs, fifteen of which using golden color. Text is decorated with vignettes. The Life of Vasilii Novyi became very famous in Byzantian and Slavic writing because it contained stories about struggling of St. Theodora and the Last Judgement. These stories stated in a form of visions were very influential for eschatology of old Russian literature. They were written down by Vasilii's disciple Grigorii. These visions come with description of a few episodes from the life of Vasilii Novyi. In the second part of the book Grigorii is telling about the vision of the Last Judgement that came to him. This vision came to him as a sign to strengthen his faith. The images of the end of the world are very expressive which can be comparable to the Revelation. This part of The Life of Vasilii Novyi had influence on literature about the Judgment day and also on its iconography. WorldCat locates the only copy in Cambridge.

48 RUSSIAN HISTORY

[47] [PRESENTATION COPY FOR GRAND DUKE] BOGDANOVICH, E.V. Navarin, 1827-1877. Moscow: tip. I.I. Rodzevicha, 1877. VI, 102, 77, [2] pp., 5 ill., port., plan. 8vo. Full leather calf with a gilt crest of arms on the front cover. Also in gilt lettering on the front cover '1827-1877' and the motto 'Let God Be With Us'. The spine is very lightly rubbed, minor foxing, otherwise a near fine copy.

This copy was presented to Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia from author as indicated by the binding and author's signature: «Ego Imperatorskomu Vysochestvu Gosudaryu Velikomu Knyazyu General Admiralu vsepredanneishee prinosheniye avtora [i.e. To His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Admiral General Devoted Offering from the Author]». First edition of the first book by the author, Evgeniy Vasilievich Bogdanovich (1829-1914). This is an anniversary edition (50 years) dedicated to the one of the brightest naval battles of the 19th century. Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence in Navarino Bay. Allied forces of Russian Empire, Britain and France opposed Turkish- Egyptian fleet. The battle continued almost 4 hours during which Ottoman armada was destroyed. Russian esquadron under the command of rear admiral Login Petrovich Geiden was the most active during the battle smashing the centre and right flank of the enemy. They also destroyed most of their ships. They lost more than 60 ships, allies didn't lose any. This battle weakened Turkish naval powers immensly which helped Russia later in winning Russian-Turkish war 1828-1829. Battle of Navarino provided the support to Greek liberation which later led to its independance. It was the last major naval battle in history to be fought with sailing ships. Russian flagship 'Azov' was among the most remarkable points of this battle. It was under the command of Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. Few members of the crew — Pavel Nakhimov, Vladimir Kornilov, Vladimir Istomin — future Russian naval commanders, heroes of battle. 49 RUSSIAN HISTORY

General Bogdanovich was in marine forces himself. He personally knew a lot of participants of Battle of Navarino, heard details of the fight from them, including from the former commander of Russian squadron Login Geiden. Moreover, his son gave to Bogdanovich valuable documents of his father which haven't been published before. It was an impulse to writing this book.

[CHRONICLE OF MEDIEVAL RUSSIA] [48] Letopisets soderzhashchii rossiiskuyu istoriyu ot 6714/1206 leta, do 7042/1534 leta,. To est, do tsarstvovaniya tsarya Ioanna Vasilievicha, kotoryi sluzhit prodolzheniem Nesterovu letopistsu [i.e. Chronicle of Russian History from 1206 to 1534, That is till the reign of Ivan the Terrible]. Moscow: Moskovskaya tipografiya, 1784. [5], 388, [2] pp. 4to. Contemporary gilt-stamped full leather binding. Scuffed binding. Otherwise very good.

First edition. Scarce. The historic thought of Russia started to regard handwritten chronicles as important documents in the second half of 18th century. The chronicles that were the only sources for the facts and events of the history of the country were held in different monastaries and regional centers. Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765) was the first person who draw public’s attention to these manuscripts by creating something that can be called brief according to different chronicles – ‘Kratky letopsets rossiyskiy s rodosloviem’. Seven years later Saint-Petersburg Academy of Science started to print the most important Russian chronicle – The Primary Chronicle (Letopis’ po Nestorovy spisku). One of the first chronicles ever printed was this Letopisets. It was later called ‘The Typography Chronicle’ (Typografskaya letopis’). Originally it was created in the bishop’s chambers in the town of Rostov in 1484. It was held in Synodian typography in Moscow since 50 RUSSIAN HISTORY

XVIIth century and that’s why it became one of the first chronicles to be printed. For the first time in print appeared references to the vital events in Russian history – it contains the most detailed account of the Battle on Ugra (1480) known to this day. That battle ended in the submission of the Russian lands to Mongolian khans. The researchers of this chronicle (Shakhmatov, Nasonov) noted the independent position that unknown chronicler had on several controversial points of Russian history. For example, he critisized Moscovite Grand Princes – for rivary between Vassily II and Dmitry Shemyaka and for repressions that Ivan III started in Novgorod lands when they were annexed by Moscow. Only two copies are found in the West according to the Worldcat (Harvard and Columbia). Svodnyi katalog XVIII. 3672.

51