Kniazhna Dzhavakha

San Francisco: Novoe Delo, 1969. Softcover. First edition thus; 6 1/2 x 8 3/4; pp. 324; orange wraps illustrated in black; a few small nicks to tips of spine; minor creasing to corners; several small spots to bottom edge and first blank leaf, else clean; illustrated in b & w by V. Taburin and A. Sudarushkin; very good to near fine condition.Lidiia Alekseevna Charskaia (1875-1937) was arguably the most celebrated female children's author at the beginning of the 20th century. In the span of 15 years she wrote an astounding number of books - over 80 - many of which became instant bestsellers. Her current book - Princess Dzhavakha - originally published in 1903, was her greatest success. Despite her popularity, or perhaps because of it, by 1920 Narkomprost (The People's Commissariat of Enlightenment) had pulled all her books from libraries and book stores and put her works in the "banned" category. Though, several of the leading Russian authors of the time, including Chukovskii, Shvarts, and Oleinikov continued helping her by publishing her stories under different pseudonyms themselves. The books were not officially re-published until the 1990s though several small runs, including the present one, were printed by various emigre publishers in Europe and in the United States.