Search Results: Authors starting with B from Bookvica

Moscow: Muzsektor Gosizdata, 1930. 16 pp.: sheet music, schemes. 26,5x17,5 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Rubbed, holes in spine and traces of glue, some soiling, pale pre-war stamps of Soviet Armenian institute of physical culture on the third and last pages, ink numbers on p.3. Otherwise good. First edition. One of 1000 copies produced. The author used verses by Agniya Barto and music opuses by Mikhail Raukhverger. Cover design was created by Kazan-born modernist artist Yuliya Razumovskaia (1896-1987). She studied in workshops of V. Meshkov and Ia. Tsionglinskii, then in 1913 was enrolled in the Academy of Arts for a workshop of D. Kardovskii and followed him when he was invited to VKHUTEMAS. Razumovskaia is mostly known for several Central Asian series created during a restoration expedition to Bukhara and Samarkand in the late 1920s. The author, Totesh Babadzhan (1892-1970) developed methods of children's education in the early socialist country. In particular, she was engaged in music… Read More

Moscow: GIKHL, 1931. 140, [3] pp. 19x12,5 cm. In original illustrated cardboards. Slightly rubbed and bumped, otherwise mint. First full edition of the well-known literary cycle. Jewish writer Isaak Babel (1894-1940) was born in Odesa. He graduated from the Odesa Commercial School and the Kyiv Commercial Institute. While studying, Babel made his literary debut with a story "Old Shloime" (1913). In the early Soviet period, Babel was under the patronage of M. Gorky and M. Koltsov. In 1921, he worked in the Odesa Provincial Committee, being the producing editor of the 7th Soviet printing house, a reporter in Tiflis and Odesa, at the State Publishing House of Ukraine. It was the period when he began to create the cycle " Odesa Stories". At the same time Babel published in the Odesa periodicals "Lava" [Drift] and "Moriak" [Sailor]. In 1923-1924, the magazines "Lef", "Krasnaya Nov" and other large publications published a row of his stories, which later formed the cycles "Cavalry" and " Odesa Stories".… Read More

St. Petersburg: tip. Trenke i Fyusno, 1912. V.1: 1607-1826. [8], 493 pp. V.2: 1829-1910. [4], 471 pp., 1 map. 20,5x13,3 cm. In two modern half-leather bindings. Original front wrappers preserved. Cut, light foxing of the covers. Otherwise a fine crispy copy. Rare. First edition. First thorough history written by Russian. Alexey Vasilyevich Babin (1866-1930), Russian historian, library scientists, bibliographer became one of the first librarians who developed American-Russian cultural and library relationship in the end of 19th century. He is one of the pioneers of American studies in Russia. Babin went to the USA in 1889 where he was accepted to Cornell University. He graduated with a degree in history. To pay for his education he worked in university library and became a professional librarian during these years. In 1902 he was invited to work in the Library of Congress as curator of Slavic literature. He was the first Russian specialist to work there. One of the most important periods of his time… Read More

Translated by Pan'ko Kulish. L'vov: Z drukarni Naukovoho Tovarystva imeny Shevchenka, 1905 (1906 on the front cover). Published as part of: Literaturno-naukova biblioteka vydaie ukrayns'ko-rus'ka vydavnycha spilka u L'vovi, series I, pt. 96. Publisher's wrappers. XIV, 178 p. 19.5 x 12.5 cm. Good condition. Loss of a corner of the back cover, loss of the fragment of the spine from the lower side. Traces of numbers in ink and owner's inscription on the title. Foxing of the covers. 1st Ukrainian edition of Byron's classic narrative poem. Translated by Panteleimon "Pan'ko" Kulish (1819 - 1897). With a preface by the prominent scientist and national Ukrainian revival movement leader, Ivan Franko. Franko cites Kulish' diaries to state that the translation was completed already in 1894. By 1894 Kulish was already a prominent Ukrainian author, as popular as Taras Schevchenko. Kulish invented a version of ABC for Ukrainian language, now known as kulishovka. He wrote numerous novels, poetry and short stories… Read More

Moscow: Gostrudizdat, 1930. 31 pp.: ill. 17,5x12 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Covers slightly soiled and faded, otherwise very good. Seventh edition. Released at the Nizhpoligraf printing shop in Nizhny Novgorod. Illustrated with seven black-and-white linocuts. This small likbez book was written during the establishment of mass hygiene in the USSR, including a system of sanatoriums for workers. Since the mid-1920s, in order to organize recreation places, the authorities set about restoring plundered and destroyed estates and mansions on the Black Sea coast and in the Caucasus. Each hospital was assigned to an enterprise or a party organization. Soviet society needed a healthy and sober worker and early Soviet resorts offered some procedures and injections, healthy food and wellness sleep. Frequently, such places also were attraction sites for prostitution and adultery. In this book, the uncertainty around the word "resort" prompts peasants to choose an old man as the first mover. He doesn't… Read More

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,… Read More

Moscow: Pravda, 1955. 160 pp. 33x24 cm. Original cloth binding. Illustrated dustjacket. Dustjacket is slightly teared and worn, otherwise very good. Illustrated throughout. Book deisgn by I.Dolgopolov. The photo book is dedicated to the five year anniversary of People's Respublic of China and the trip that Pravda photo correspondent took the same year. Dmitriy Baltermants (1912-1990) was one of the best known Soviet official photographers of the 1940s-80s. He has captured some of the most iconic shots of WWII from the Soviet side. His personal photo exhibitions were held in London and New York in the 1960s.

Moscow: Posrednik, 1931. 55 pp., 1 ad.: ill. 21x14.9 cm. In original illustrated publisher's wrappers by Nikolay Troshin. Soiling of the wrappers, small stains on the front wrapper and the title page, spine with tears, previous owner's ink inscription of the verso of the front wrapper. Otherwise in good condition. Scarce. 1 of 6,000 copies. Second edition. First Russian edition published in 1929. First printed In original English language in 1924. Wrapper design by the Soviet painter, graphic artist, and book designer Nikolay Troshin (1897-1990). Nikolay received his initial art education at Selivertson Penza Art School and subsequently continued his studies at VKHUTEMAS, in the workshop of I. Mashkov (1918-1920). In the 1920s and 1930s, Troshin made posters for the Transreklama enterprise and the publishing house of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. From 1930 until the beginning of the Patriotic War, Troshin designed more than 40 issues of the magazine SSSR na stroyke [i.e. USSR in… Read More

Moscow: V tipografii Katkova i Ko, 1857. 434 pp. 23x15,5 cm. In modern half-leather with gilt lettering. Stains occasionally, title page repaired along spine, private library stamps, otherwise very good. First Russian publication of the legendary antislavery novel appeared in the magazine "Russkii Vestnik". Very rare. When it was first published in English in 1852, Russia was still ruled by Nicholas I, who introduced the Censorship Statute in 1826. Its modified version continued to be in effect in 1828-1857. According to the Censorship Statute, works were subject to prohibition that contained "anything tending to undermine the teachings of the Orthodox Greek-Russian Church, its traditions and rituals, or in general the truths and dogmas of the Christian faith," as well as "anything violating the inviolability of the supreme autocratic power, or respect for the Imperial House, and anything contrary to fundamental state regulations". At that time, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' was banned in Russia immediately,… Read More

Odesa: Knigoizd-vo «Odespoligraf», [1925]. 141, [2] pp.: ill., 6 ills. 21,5x17,5 cm. In original publisher's illustrated cardboards; illustrated endpapers. Binding worn, with creases and small fragments of illustrated paper lost, upper outer corner of the front cover lost (letterpress design not affected), stains on the back cover, soiling of pages occasionally, narrow strip of the endpaper cut off. Otherwise good. First edition. Scarce. 1 of 3,000 copies. With illustrated endpapers and 6 color and 42 black and white illustrations throughout. Adapted for children by V. I. Pavlov. A Russian translation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The book features beautiful black and white (42) and color illustrations (6) from the 1895 Swedish edition of the novel and ca. 1900 American edition (New York: Hurst). Illustrations for the former publication were produced by the famous Swedish artist Jenny Nystrom-Stoopendaal (1895-1946). The American edition contained no… Read More

Leningrad: State text-book Publishing House, 1954. Second edition. 142, [2] pp.: ill. 20x13 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Tears of the spine, loss of the small fragment of the top left corner of the front cover, Soviet bookshop's stamp on the back cover, owner's signature on the p.1. Cover by famous Soviet book illustrator Eduard Budogosky (1903-1976). He studied in VKHUTEIN and was taught by Dobuzhinsky, Zamirailo, Mitrokhin, Kruglikova. His wood cuts were used in many children's books during his life. Original illustrations by B.F. Semyonov. Title page in Russian and English. Uncle Tom's Cabin was very popular in Russia. It was first published in 1857 in Russia in periodical. Soon after that in 1858 the novel was printed in famous Russian literary magazine Sovremennik when it was run by Nekrasov and Chernyshevsky. Then its appearance fell onto the eve of serfdom's abolishment.

Warsaw, 1890. 332 pp. 20x13 cm. Contemporary quarter-leather. Guilt lettering on the spine. Stamp of the pre-revolutionary library on the title verso. Very good. The first edition in Polish of 'Looking Backwards: 2000-1887' by Edward Bellamy. It was translated by Józef Karol Potocki (1854-1898) and became one of the first translations of this American bestseller. Worldcat locates the only copy in National Library of Poland.

Engels: Deutscher Staatsverlag, 1937. 96 pp.: ill., frontispiece. 22.7x14.9 cm. In original illustrated publisher's cardboards. Worn, rubbed edges, boards slightly loose, several pages detached. Otherwise good. Scarce. Second edition. First edition published in 1935. Black and white illustrations throughout by A. Diel. In German. A textbook for German printed in the Soviet Union just a couple of months before the massive deportation wave of the Germans. This Fibel, or alphabet book, prepared for first graders by an author named N. Bellendir was published in 1937 in the Soviet city of Engels. The territory was inhabited by the Germans, who during the reign of Catherine the Great were encouraged to settle in the Volga region. Recruited as immigrants, the colonists were allowed to maintain their language, traditions, and churches, transforming the area into the major centre of German culture. During the Russian Civil War the region came under control of the communist Russian Soviet Federative Socialist… Read More

Leningrad: Lenizdat, 1930. 20 pp.: ill. 18,5x17 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Tears of edges, stains occasionally, original black and white illustrations colored by hand. Very rare. Brilliant children's book about the practice of waste paper gathering and involvement of little octobrists in it. Soviet writer Ivan Belyshev (1894-1942) was a former military officer who left the service in 1927. He debuted in the early 1930s, wrote a range of popular stories and contributed to a number of periodicals for children. The edition was illustrated by artist Vladimir Konashevich (1888-1963) who could be rightfully seen as the second author. His earliest children's book was 'ABC in Pictures' (1918); he totally devoted himself to children's books in 1922. In that year, Konashevich had designed several fairy tales by C. Perrault and A. Pushkin. These editions came out in Berlin, due to the high quality of German reproducing watercolors. In the following years, colorful books with his illustrations… Read More

Moscow: Sovremennye problemy, 1926. 148, [12] pp. 17x12,5 cm. 1 of 4000 copies. In original publisher's illustrated cover. The back cover is not attached to the book, lacking two small pieces of the spine, tears of the spine, some soiling of the covers. Otherwise a good copy. First Russian edition of the second book by American writer Konrad Bercovici (1882-1961). He came to America from Romania in 1916 and gained prominence as a journalist and essayist chronicling life in New York City, including immigrants like himself. Maxim Gorky had at least one Bercovici's book in his library which is not surprising as some critics find similarities in their works, for example their own observations of outcast. WorldCat locates two copies in US libraries.

Moscow: Snabtekhizdat, 1932. 53, [2] pp.: ill. 22x15 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Small tears of the spine with minor fragments lost, creases of the back cover, p. 54 soiled, pale private stamps on the title page and p.54, pencil marks on margins and colored pencil number on the back cover, otherwise good. First and only edition. One of 2000 copies. Scarce. Constructivist design was likely produced by technical editor S. Shkol'nikova. Given the narrow focus of shark fishing in different countries, the Soviet writer Nikolai Berezin proposed a more rational use of sharks. This work is the first among his publications. All of them were devoted to the Soviet fish industry and such topics as the processing, preservation, storage of fish, and fish products. Some works were approved as textbooks for factory workers. Akin to other fields of the national economy, the Soviet fishing industry experienced forced development since the first five-year plan (1928-1931). Authorities raised issues of… Read More

St. Petersburg: Izd. Studencheskoi biblioteki, 1903. [2], 204, 4, 3 pp.: ill. 27,5x18,5 cm. In period half-leather with gilt lettering on the spine. Good. Rubbed, stains and pencil marks occasionally, first leaves slightly deformed of water. First edition. Extremely rare lithographed edition of lectures on building materials. A course of lectures given by Wilhelm Bernhard (1856-1909), a professor of the Institute of Civil Engineers. Bernhard was an eclecticist architect, specialist in construction law and construction technology. The lectures were gathered by two graduates of this Institute together with student library that meant the small print run. One of the graduates, Vasily Starostin (1875-1960) was also attracted by civil engineering for the whole life. No copies were found in Worldcat.

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). 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… Read More

Moscow: Vsekokhudozhnik, 1933. 87, [1] pp.: ill. 22,5x15,5 cm. In original wrappers. Very good, chipped, some general soiling, pale water stains on covers, clean internally. First and only edition. One of 5000 copies. This is not just another book on fighting 'escapist' formalism by accusing artists of the total ignoring of the reality. In this famous book the author described some of the finest art of the period in very harsh manner, and this art was later banned. With this book he almost destroyed lives of several artists during the most horrible cracking down period of Soviet history. Among reviewed artists in the book were A.G. Tyshler, P.N. Filonov, A.D. Drevin, Labas, I.V. Kliun, Udal'tsova, A.V. Shevchenko, R.N. Barto, D.P. Shterenberg and others. Interesting that being an ardent defender of Socialist realism the author put 24 images introducing formalist artists and their works to his readers. More than that this book became a foundation of creating a liberal history of Soviet art much later.… Read More

Kaluga: kollektiv nauchnykh rabotnikov pri G.O. Rabprosa, 1928. 30 pp., [2] pp.: ill., [10] pl. 22x18 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Very good, small tears of the spine. First and only edition. One of 600 copies. An extremely rare provincial edition. This is the first book on wooden classicist architecture of Kaluga and the first book on wooden Empire style architecture, part of the unique Russian architectural phenomenon. At the end of the 18th - the beginning of the 19th century classicism became widespread not only in the capital, but also in provincial towns and manors. The situation in Russia after the Napoleonic invasion gave impetus to the construction of wooden houses of various purposes. Among them, one story mansions are particularly beautiful and even adorable in their simple wooden decoration. Skill serf architects manifested in the construction of wooden buildings with elements inherent to stone buildings: classical porticos, elegant moldings and carved details, columns. In the… Read More