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The Romanovs and the Russian Empire
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Peter Kurth (Author), Peter Christopher, Edward Radzinsky (Introduction). Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra.MA (Boston): Back Bay Books (Little, Brown & Co), 1998. 229 pages. 1st printing. Travel back in time to the now vanished era of Imperial Russia and explore the lost world of the Tsars through this spectacular illustrated history. Large softcover. Copiously illustrated. Light shelf wear to the cover. [#NVC-32]
Peter Kurth. Anastasia: the Riddle of Anna Anderson. Kurth presents much Russian history as evidence to bolster his claim of solving one of the the most compelling mysteries of the 20th century. Was quite the stir when published 30 years ago! MA (Boston): Little, Brown & Co, 1983. 450 pages. Stated 1st printing. Hardcover in Mylar protective jacket. Text fine/jacket very good. Spine sunned, light tanning to edges. Geneological endpapers, 32 illustrations, bibliography, index, notes. [#NVC-916]
James Blair Lovell.Anastasia: The Lost Princess. Another historical research-filled variation on the Anna Anderson by an "Anastasia scholar". Written by a fervent believer prior to DNA discrediting. Lovell pieces together the sad, bizarre life of Anderson, which included stays in German asylums, several breakdowns, depression, paranoia, poverty and endless court cases against her detractors. DC: (Wasington): Regnery Gateway, 1991. 512 pages. Hardcover in Mylar protective jacket. Fine/fine. Epilogue, appendices (4), source notes, bibliography, index. [#NVC-917]
Edward Crankshaw. The Shadow of the Winter Palace. Russia's Drift to Revolution 1825-1917. NY: Viking, 1976. 429 pages. Brilliant and prodigiously researched history of Russia under the last four Tsars. A classic. Bibliography, chapter notes, illustrations, index, maps,chronlogy. Not BOMC printing, jacket is price clipped. First or early printing. Hardcover with deckle-edges.Text block very good (white mark inside first page, jacket good with some light wear, now in protective mylar. [NVC-34]
Harrison Salisbury. Black Night, White Snow: Russia's Revolutions 1905-1917. NY: Doubleday, 1978. 769 pages. BOMC edition. A fast-paced narrative captures the rich drama of the most crucial political/historical event of the twentieth century. He exposes the strata of Russian society, with its prophetic poets, religious fanatics, and newly liberated serfs. Hard data on Russia's economy, a first-hand knowledge of the county, and a historian's gift of compression are combined to read with the ease of a good novel and the urgency of a newspaper headline. Orange genealogical endpapers, index, extensive notes and sources sections. Hardcover with dustjacket in protective mylar cover, minor rubbing/wear to dj, otherwise near fine. [#NB-611]
Harrison Salisbury. The 900 Days. The Siege of Leningrad. NY: Harper & Row, 1969. 2nd printing of 1st edition. Illustrated with black and white photos, maps, map endpapers. Source notes, bibliography, indexThe Nazi German siege of Leningrad (1941-1944) was endured by nearly 3 million Russian citizens - just under whom half of them died. Born in 1908 in Minneapolis, Salisbury was the first regular NY Times correspondent in Moscow after World War II and took 25 years to publish this classic narrative, from both historical, and human terms. Dj not price-clipped, deckle edges. Dustjacket in protective mylar, no writing or marks, some minor tanning appearing on the pages and light soil to edges. Very good condition. [#SV-2067]
Sorry, sold
Robert Massie. Nicholas and Alexandra. NY: Atheneum, 1967. Stated 1st edition, 8th printing. 584 pages. Illustrations, dustjacket in a protective mylar cover. Full page photo of author on back. Wear to dj, 1" tear piece missing dj back and closed tear, crease and closed tear front of dj. 1st printing of this perennially reprinted classic. [#RM-17]

Russian History
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Vladimir Sollogub. The Tarantas. Impressions of a Journey (Russia in the 1840s). Translated with an afterword by William Edward Brown. MI (Ann Arbor): Ardis Publishers. Hardcover in dustjacket, still sealed in plastic wrap. [#RM-390] 1 only [AZ]
Alex Shoumatoff. Russian Blood. A Family Chronicle. Shoumatoff traces his family origins back ot the fifteenth century and masterfully re-creates the pre-revolutionary gatherings at the family estate. Elegant and moving, with period photos. NY: Random House (Vintage), 1990. 312 pages. Illustrated. Softcover in brand new condition. [#BK-RB1] SPECIAL!
George Vogt. Nicholas II: Emperor of Russia (World Leaders Past and Present). Published in 1987, this biography of Nicholas II starts with an introductory essay on leadership by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. It is a library binding (hardcover with pictorial boards) and its intended market was for the grade 7-12 crowd. Readable text with quotes from Nicholas' contemporaries and from later historians. At the time (Gorbachev had just come into power), this was one of the few books, outside of those by Robert Massie, available on the subject. Elegant and moving, with period photos. NY: Chelsea House, 1987. 116 pages, illustrated. Hardcover, pictorial boards. Some light scuffs to the cover, no writing or marks, some minor tanning appearing on the pages. Very good condition, not a common title. [#SA-21] 1 only
Suzanne Massie. Land of the Firebird. NY: Simon and Shuster, 1980. 1st edition. The beauty of old Russia. Color photos of art, painting and architecture. Hardcover with price-clipped dustjacket in protective mylar cover. 493 pages, with 28 illustrations. [#BK-LNF1]
Wolf Von Schierbrand. Russia: Her Strength and Her Weakness. NY: G. Putnam's Sons, 1904. (Reprinted by Detroit, Michigan Bay View Reading Club 1904). 304 pages, index. Historical and readable snapshot of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Red cloth with gilt titles. Name of former owner written on front free endpaper, otherwise very good. [#RM-57K]
Effie Ambler. Russian Journalism and Politics. The Career of Aleksei S. Suvorin. (1861-1881). Suvorin was an important journalist and publisher in Russia and was loathed by the anti-autocratic intelligensia for his chauvinism and his reactionary political pronouncements. He began his career as a radical liberal but shifted to an extreme right-wing stance. This volume presents an interesting picture of the Russian Imperial press, public opinion, censorship, and the financial instability of newspapers. Preface, introduction, notes, index. MI (Detroit): Wayne state University, 1972. 239 pages. Hardcover with dustjacket in excellent condition. [#RM-302]

Russian Biography/Memoir
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Maria Fairweather. Pilgrim Princess : The Life of Princess Zinaida Volkonsky. A well-researched biography on the beautiful Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna Volkonsky. At the Russian Imperial court of Alexander I, young Zinaida captured the heart of the Czar himself before her marriage to his aide-de-camp Prince Volkonsky. In Moscow her literary salon prompted Alexander Pushkin to dub her the "Queen of the Muses and of Beauty." NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2000. 240 pages. Illustrated first edition. Like new hardcover with dustjacket. Remainder mark on bottom.[#BK-RM115] Sorry, sold
Professor Isabel de Madariaga. Ivan the Terrible. This is the first attempt to write a biography of Ivan from birth to death, to study his marriages and his disordered personality, and to link them as a coherent whole. Isabel de Madariaga situates Ivan within the background of Russian political developments in the sixteenth century and includes a new account of the role of astrology and magic at Ivan’s court. A definitive biography of the 16th-century Russian czar by a professor emeritus of Russian studies at the University of London. CT (New Haven): Yale University Press, 2005. Hardcover, 1st printing. 526 pages. Foreword, notes, bibliography and index. [#RM-62K]
Olga Ilyn. White Road: A Russian Odyssey. 1919-1923. An enthralling memoir of the onset of the Russian Revolution and the defeat of the White Army. NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984. 316 pages. First edition. Brand new hardcover with dustjacket. [#BK-WH] SPECIAL!
Vincent Cronin. Catherine, Empress of All the Russias. An excellent biograpy without all the sensationalism. NY: William Morrow, 1978. 349 pages. Index, sources, notes, appendices. Hardcover, dustjacket in mylar, BOMC edition. Slight roll to binding, closed tear, page tanning, otherwise very good.[#NB-608] Sorry, sold
Philip Pomper. Sergei Nechaev. Nechaev (1847-1882) was a single-minded Russian revolutionary associated with the Nihilist movement. Pomper analyzes Nechaev's ability to manipulate people and his single-purposeness, which gave him the title of Machievelli of the revolutionary movement. He co-authored the "The Catechism of Revolution" with Bakunin, from out of which, eventually, Lenin and Stalin emerged. NJ (New Brunswick): Rutgers Univ Press, 1979. Notes, bibliography, index. Hardcover with dustjacket in very good condition. Uncommon title. [#PH-6112K]
Doris Langley Moore. Marie and the Duke of H. The Daydream Love Affair of Marie Bashkirtseff. Fascinating history through the unexpurgated journals of Marie Bashkirtseff (1860-1884). Covers the first year of the journal (1873) and 14-year old Marie's "ardent reveries" over the wealthy 12th Duke of Hamilton (1845-1895). Touches on many other aspects of her family life and Russian friends in 19th century England and sheds insight into Victorian adolescence. UK (London): Cassell & Company, 1966. 1st edition. Illustrated in color and black and white. 304 pages. Photo portrait of author with short bio on back. Hardcover with edgeworn and chipped dustjacket in protective mylar cover. Cover has a faint coffee ring on the front, contents fine. [#RM-64K]
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Eugene Lyons. Assignment in Utopia. NY: Viking Press, 1976. NY: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1937. Lyons (1898-1985) was an American journalist and writer who lived in Moscow in the early 1930s. He wrote this outspoken account of current events in Russia, which was very critical of Stalin and his regime. George Orwell's totalitarian classic "1984" was influenced by this book. Hardcover with dustjacket, 638 pages, index. Jacket in protective mylar. Foxing to gutters and page tanning, otherwise very good. Some wear to extremities of dustjacket. Text clean, jacket price-clipped. Early printing. [#RM-1301]
George Feifer. Moscow Farewell. NY: Viking Press, 1976. The Harvard-educated Feifer first visited Russia in 1959 where he witnessed first-hand the "kitchen debate" between Nixon and Khruschev. He subsequently spent a year as a graduate student at Moscow University. Written 35 years ago, this somewhat risque for the time "fictional non-fiction" with characters that include a capricious girlfriend and a supreme hedonist, is still relevant today. Feifer is also the author of "Girl from Petrovka". Hardcover with dustjacket. BOMC edition. Like new condition, jacket in protective Mylar. [#RM-73K]

European History
(Including Royal History)
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Grania Forbes. Elizabeth, the Queen Mother: A Twentieth-Century Life. Published on the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother celebrating her ninety-ninth birthday! The Queen Mother's life traverses the twentieth century, and Forbes, a British journalist specializing in the royal family, offers a pictorial biography abundantly illustrated together with a lively text. Born an earl's daughter into a distinguished Scottish family, Queen Elizabeth bolstered her husband, George VI, upon his sudden succession to the throne in 1936, and strengthened the monarchy after the shattering abdication of Edward VIII. London: Pavillion Books, 1999. 192 pages. 1st printing, hardcover. Some minor creases/marks to dustjacket, still very good in protective Mylar cover. Text fine. [#NVC-912] 1 only
Philip Ziegler. King Edward VIII: A Biography. One of the best and definitive biography of the beleaguered Duke of Windsor. Ziegler does not mince words in reporting misdeeds. He pulls it all together in an account that is judicious, informed, and above all highly readable. Notes, index, genealogical endpapers, with many illustrations. NY: A. Knopf, 552 pages. Stated 1st American edition, hardcover. Fine/fine. Dustjacket in protective Mylar cover. [#NVC-914] 1 only
Evelyn Graham. Albert King of the Belgians: An Authorized Biography. King Albert I was the son of Philip, Count of Flanders. He succeeded his uncle, Leopold II, on the throne, and served in the army and Senate. He had good relations with the Kaiser and King George V. King Albert reaffirmed the neutrality of Belgian and refused to allow the German troops free passage through his country. He led the Belgian army in the retreat to Flanders, as well as leading the Belgian and French troops in the final Allied offensive. King Albert is known for introducing a new monetary system to Belgium and his reconstruction after the war. King Albert was killed in a mountaineering accident in eastern Belgium in 1934, at the age of 58. NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1929. 1st edition. 314 pages. Illustrated with 11 full page photos. Hardcover with dustjacket in protective Mylar cover. Jacket has some wear, closed tear top left, chipping to edges. Hardcover is bound with red cloth with gilt stamping of crown and crest to front cover, some soil to covers. Name signature first page together with purple stamps of owner's town. Text of book is excellent. [#NVC-919] 1 only
Bertita Harding. (Senora B. Leonarz de Harding.) Phantom Crown. The Story of Maximilian & Carlota of Mexico. History of Archduke Maximilan of Austria, invited by French Emperor Louis Napoleon to become Emperor of Mexico (1863-1867), who was, in fact, a puppet of the French regime. Originally published in 1935, it was the basis for the 1939 film Juarez with Bette Davis and Paul Muni. Mexico: Editions Tolteca, 1960. 443 pages. 2nd printing. Softcover, illustrated, bibliography, index. Corners curled, soil to back cover, otherwise good. [#NVC-351] 1 only
Anna Louise Strong. Spain in Arms 1937. NY: Henry Holtand Co., 1937. Hardcover, 1st edition. 85 pages with 15 black/white photographs (some rare) and photos of propaganda posters. Firsthand account of the Spanish Civil War by a notable woman journalist and radical. Good condition, no dustjacket. some marks to the covers, some dampstaining to the pages that doesn't seriously detract. Uncommon title. [#NVC-398] 1 only
Count Karl Ludwig Von Pollnitz. Love Life at the Saxon Court. Saxon Court history about lovers and intrigues. First published with the title "La Saxe Galante: or, The Amourous Adventures and Intrigues of Frederick Augustus II". Augustus II was famous for his amorous adventures and many mistresses. He was also said to have a luxurious, wanton court, and squandered his money on the arts. Legend says that he fathered around 300 illegitimate children.NY: Brentano's Publishers, 1929. 292 pages. Number of full-page portrait illustrations. Green cloth hardcover, no dustjacket, spine faded, tan title label on spine. [#RM-66K]
Dance & Music

Vladimir Vysotsky. Hamlet with a guitar. Memoirs and biographies. A collection of writings and songs by Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-1980), the legendary Soviet Russian bard/singer, actor and songwriter. English language edition, with many of his poems and songs in both Russian and English. Illustrated by 39 photos. USSR (Moscow): Progress Publishers, 1990. 421 pages, softcover. Excellent condition. [BK-VY1]
Marcelle Maurette, adapted from the French by John Bolton. "Anastasia. Original Broadway Playbill from 1955. Starring Dolly Haas, Eugenie Leontovich, John Emery, Robert Duke. Directed by Alan Schneider. Debuted at the Lyceum Theatre, (12/29/1954 - 9/24/1955 and ran for 272 performances. 9"x12", pamphlet with photos and text. 12 pages. Excellent condition. [#VC-48]
Igor Schwezoff. Russian Somersault. A diary of the Russian ballet dancer, Igor Schwezoff, from 1904 to 1931. Three photos of Schwezoff and many wonderful illustrations by Grey. NY: Harper & Brothers, 1936. Stated 1st edition. Illustrated, decorative endpapers. Cloth hardcover, missing dustjacket. Name on first page, otherwise good. [#RM-83K]

Collectible Paperbacks
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Marcelle Maurette. Anastasia. NY: Signet, 1956. #S1356. 1st printing. 128 pages. Color pictorial cover with yellow and white lettering. Movie tie-in of the Anatole Litvak film from 1956. Cover photo of Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner. Four pages of scenes from the movie. Pages tanned, cover separating at spine, wear to spine edges. An attractive copy with a collectible cover. [#PV-B1356]
Boris Pasternak. Dr. Zhivago. NY: Signet, 1960. #T1802. 1st printing. The Novel That Made World History. 452 pages. Pages tanned, light edge wear, otherwise near fine. An attractive collectible copy. [#PV-B1802] 1 only
Alexander Pushkin. The Queen of Spades and Other Stories. London: Penguin Classics, 1962. #L119. 1st printing. Contents: The Queen Of Spades, The Negro Of Peter The Great, Dubrovsky, and The Captains Daughter. 317 pages. Usual browning to the text block. A very collectable copy of this edition in the Penguin Classics series. [#PV-C301] 1 only
Ivan Turgenev. On the Eve. London: Penguin Classics, 1951. #L9. 2nd printing. 254 pages plus section of ads at the end of the book. Some soil to the covrs and the usual browning to the text block. [#PV-C303] 1 only
Anton Chekhov. The Major Plays. NY: Signet, 1964. #CP231. 1st printing. Contains: Ivanov, The Sea Gull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. 382 pages. Pages bright with minor edge tanning, otherwise fine. An attractive collectible copy. [#PV-B231] 1 only
Konstantin Fedin. Early Joys. NY: Vintage, 1962. #V709. 1st printing. 174 pages. Originally published in Russia in 1950, this is a novel, set in 1910, is about political idealism as well as an insightful and charming love story. Pages bright with minor edge tanning, mild soil to back cover, otherwise very good. A nice copy of an obscure title. [#PV-B97] 1 only
Apollon Aleksandrovich Grigoryev. My Literary and Moral Wanderings. NY: Dutton, 1962. #D97. 1st printing. Subtitled: and Other Autobrographical Material. 174 pages. The "first-published her in English" writings of the exceptional and important Russian literary critic and poet. Pages mildy tan, soil to back cover and edges, otherwise good. A decent copy of an obscure title. [#PV-B709] 1 only
Pasternak, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, et al. Seven Russian Short Novel Masterpieces. NY: Popular Library, 1967. #95-165. 1st printing. 480 pges. See picture of back cover for titles. Pages mildy tan and mild wear to covers. An nice copy. [#PV-B165]

Vintage Historical Fiction
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Benjamin Bunny. The Life of H.R.H. The Duke of Flamborough. A footnote to history, arranged, expurgated, and edited by Laurence Housman. Parody fictional biography of the Duke, who "lived" in the 19th century, by his valet, who was "dismissed for prying after 30 years service in the Royal household". Includes sections on "The Palace Plot"; "The Collections Of Royalty"; and "Retirement". NY: Payson & Clarke, Ltd., 1929. Small hardcover with dj in mylar, both VG. Button & thread page marker. [#RM-70K]
Vintage Russian Textbooks

S. Rappoport. Russian Grammar. Hossfeld's New Practical Method for Learning the Russian Language. PA (Philadelphia): Peter Reilly, 1914. 299 pages.Rappoport was attached to Birbeck College in London, England. The preface states that :...Russian Grammar...neglected in the past...has at last forced itself upon the attention of thinking men...coming to be regarded, not only as of value, but of actual importance." Interesting vintage textbook that was written before the post-Russian revolution orthography reforms. With a table of contents and index in both Russian and English. Blue cloth binding with black stamped lettering. Chip to backstrip, corners worn, otherwise good condition with tidy pencil annotations throughout. Scarce. [#BK-VT21] 1 only
Paul Boyer and N. Speranski.Russian Reader, Accented Texts, Grammatical and Explanatory Notes, Vocabulary. IL (Chicago): University of Chicago Press, 1906. 386 pages. Extensive appendices with their own index, table of contents. Written before the post-Russian revolution orthography reforms. Accented text. Introduction by Samuel Northrup Harper (1882-1943), professor of Russian Language and Institutions at the University of Chicago, who was the first American to devote an academic career to the study of Russia. (Harper was the son of the University's first president William Rainey Harper.) Green cloth binding with faded gilt stamped lettering. Corners worn, paint marks on back cover, rusty paper clip marks on 4-6 pages of vocabulariy section, purple name stamp first page and seventh page, otherwise good condition. Scarce. [#BK-VT28] 1 only
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