Liubov k trem apel'sinam. Zhurnal Doktora Dapertutto. Complete set.

S.-Peterburg: Meierkhol'd, 1914-1916.. Wrappers, 12mo. and larger. (Vishnevskii 353) complete set of "Love for Three Oranges", the rare important publication by Meierkhol'd. The title is taken from the exotic commedia dell'arte play "L'amore delle tre melarance" by Count Carlo Gozzi, the ardent defender of the traditional commedia dell'arte form. Meierkhol'd translated and adapted Gozzi's play and published it in the first issue. Doctor Dapertutto (a character from E.T.A. Hoffmann) was the name (suggested by the poet Mikhail Kuzmin) Meierkhol'd used as an alter ego to showcase his more eccentric pursuits in smaller theaters. In fact, Telyakovsky, the Director of Imperial Theatres, had asked Meierkhol'd to adopt a pseudonym for his private theatrical activities as they otherwise constituted a breach of contract. Meierkhol'd gave a copy of the first issue of the journal to the composer Prokofiev in 1918 and encouraged him to write an opera based on it. Prokofiev wrote a score in nine months for the Chicago Opera where it did finally premiere in 1921. Complete set of the journal - seven numbers for 1914, seven for 1915 and three numbers for 1916. Covers for 1914 were designed by Iurii Bondi. Covers for 1915 and 1916 by A. Ia. Golovin. Most issues have discussions of the acting classes of the Meierkhol'd studio .(1914) Issue number one has the play "Love for Three Oranges" which Meierkhol'd adapted from Carlo Gozzi. Also in the issue are articles about Aleksandr Blok and "Hoffmaniana" by Vladimir Kniazhnin . Issue number two has the article by Meierkhol'd and Bondi "Balagan"("Puppet Booth"), poetry by Gippius, Sologub, Vl. Kniazhnin. Issue number three has continuations of Hoffmaniana (3rd prt) and the article on Commedia dell'arte(3rd prt). Issue number 4-5 has poetry of Blok (cycle of verse "Karmen"), another play by Gozzi , article by Kniazhnin about Grigor'ev, etc. Issue number 6-7 Poetry about Petrograd by Kniazhnin, a play by Bondi, Meierkhol'd and Solov'ev entitled "Ogon'", plus A. M. Brianskii's article on the Russian Harlequin. (1915) Issue number 1-2-3 opens with an apology for lateness from the editor, verse by Aleksandr Nadezhdin, a review of the article on Commedia dell'arte in the Brockhaus encyclopedia, a play by Dr. Dapertutto "Cricket on the Hearth or the Keyhole", an article by Meierkhol'd on A. Benois ( to whom he was a bete noir) .Issue number 4-5-6-7. Verse by Gippius, Bal'mont, et al, and an article by M. M. Zhirmunskii on the comedies of the Portuguese author Camoes,(1916) Issue number 1 (Winter , called the first book), A tale for children in three acts "Puss and Boots", more verse by Blok, a review of a play by Calderon by M. M. Zhirmunskii, an article by V. Zhirmunskii, Miklashevskii's article on reviewing. Issue number 2-3 (Spring-Summer) , a tragic comic tale by Count Carlo Gozzi, K. Mochul'skii's article on the technique of Gozzi's comedy, Meierkhol'd's restoration of "Grozy" (The Storm), poetry by Kuzmin, V. Zhirmunskii's ariticle- "Carlo Gozzi: Politician or Artist?", and "Vampuka - the African bride". Rare in any quantity and especially rare compete. Four locations in OCLC. (quantity 9) Good to very good. Issues for 1914 #1, #2, #3, #4-5 rebound in blue cloth with original wrappers bound in.