Kniaz' Serebrianiy, povest vremen Ionna Groznago. [The Silver Prince].

£3,250 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

one of 150 copies with the plates in two states A finely bound illustrated example of The Silver Prince, A. K. Tolstoy's most famous prose work. The novel is based on the struggle between Ivan the Terrible and the boyarstvo and draws on the European literary tradition of fiction within a historical context, much like the work of Sir Walter Scott and Alexandre Dumas. Tolstoy was the first Russian author to espouse such a literary style and did so very successfully thanks to his careful scholarship of 16th century society. He's credited with providing the first nuanced depiction of Ivan the Terrible and portray his character in all its complexity. Limited edition, one of 150 copies on Japon with the engravings in two states, this numbered 43 and with the printed manuscript signature of the publisher; 4to (28 x 19 cm), frontispiece and 12 full-page illustrations after Lebedev and engraved by Lakos in two states avant et avec la lettre, a.e.g.; contemporary brown morocco, red morocco doublures with inner dentelles and elaborate gilt floral tooling, red silk moire guards, original soft wrappers bound in, spine in six parts with raised bands, title in gilt to second part, in a marbled paper slipcase, a very good example.

• Binding: Hardcover

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.