![[PUSHKIN, Alexander (1799-1837)]. Severnye tsvety. [Northern Flowers]. St Petersburg: Department of Public Education, 1825-1830.](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2019/CKS/2019_CKS_18441_0083_000(pushkin_alexander_severnye_tsvety_northern_flowers_st_petersburg_depar074325).jpg?w=1)
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[PUSHKIN, Alexander (1799-1837)]. Severnye tsvety. [Northern Flowers]. St Petersburg: Department of Public Education, 1825-1830.
Rare six-volume set, in the first edition, of one of ‘best and greatest poetic Russian almanacs’ (Smirnov-Sokol’skii). Published between 1825 and 1832, in 8 volumes, this highly influential periodical was edited by Baron Delvig, and competed with another major almanac, Poljarnaja Zvezda, in terms of sales and featured authors. Pushkin contributed excerpts from Evgenij Onegin (Tatjana’s letter and her conversation with her nanny)—to entice the audience’s curiosity just before its serial publication—as well as K***, a famous poem to his lover Anna Kern, 19 Oktjabrja, and passages from Graf Nulin and Boris Godunov. The almanac also featured writings by Krylov, Baratynsky and Zhukovsky. Sets in general, and particularly complete with all illustrations, are rare - ‘even rarer it is to find Pushkin’s portrait in the 1828 issue’ (Smirnov-Sokol’skii). RBH records no other sets being offered at auction. Smirnov-Sokol’skii, Al’manakhi, 272, 276, 287, 288, 299, 319; Moia biblioteka, 1465-1470; Pushkin, n.67, p. 532.
6 volumes, 16mo (135 x 97mm). All with engraved title, 1: one plate and 2 pp. of errata (minimal spotting, especially to engraved title, occasional light waterstains), 2: with engraved frontispiece and 4 plates (lacking typographical title, one plate starting, small marginal oil stain and wormtrack to last quire); 3: with the engraved portrait and 2 plates (first and last few quires somewhat foxed); 4: with Pushkin’s portrait (light foxing); 5: (titles and first quire somewhat soiled and upper edge frayed, some dampstaining, small marginal oil stain to few leaves); 6: (light browning or dampstaining, heavier to first and last few leaves). Contemporary Russian bindings: 1: full leather, gilt, marbled endpapers (boards and spine rubbed and worn); 2: half vellum over paper boards (rubbed, hinges cracked, upper starting but sound); 3: original printed wrappers onlaid (worn, head and foot of spine cracked); 4: polished calf, marbled endpapers, boards and spine gilt, gilt-lettered label; 5: mottled calf, rebacked with original onlaid gilt spine (boards rubbed); 6: half calf over marbled boards, spine gilt. Provenance: 1: unidentified early ownership inscription to title - illegible stamp - another stamp ‘Mogiz’ with price - V.K. Lochkov (bookseller’s label to rear endleaf); 3: V.M. Vasileiko (ownership inscription dated 1929 on front endleaf); 3-4: stamps ‘Mag. 28 125 r.’ (bookseller) and ‘M3’ on rear endleaf.
Rare six-volume set, in the first edition, of one of ‘best and greatest poetic Russian almanacs’ (Smirnov-Sokol’skii). Published between 1825 and 1832, in 8 volumes, this highly influential periodical was edited by Baron Delvig, and competed with another major almanac, Poljarnaja Zvezda, in terms of sales and featured authors. Pushkin contributed excerpts from Evgenij Onegin (Tatjana’s letter and her conversation with her nanny)—to entice the audience’s curiosity just before its serial publication—as well as K***, a famous poem to his lover Anna Kern, 19 Oktjabrja, and passages from Graf Nulin and Boris Godunov. The almanac also featured writings by Krylov, Baratynsky and Zhukovsky. Sets in general, and particularly complete with all illustrations, are rare - ‘even rarer it is to find Pushkin’s portrait in the 1828 issue’ (Smirnov-Sokol’skii). RBH records no other sets being offered at auction. Smirnov-Sokol’skii, Al’manakhi, 272, 276, 287, 288, 299, 319; Moia biblioteka, 1465-1470; Pushkin, n.67, p. 532.
6 volumes, 16mo (135 x 97mm). All with engraved title, 1: one plate and 2 pp. of errata (minimal spotting, especially to engraved title, occasional light waterstains), 2: with engraved frontispiece and 4 plates (lacking typographical title, one plate starting, small marginal oil stain and wormtrack to last quire); 3: with the engraved portrait and 2 plates (first and last few quires somewhat foxed); 4: with Pushkin’s portrait (light foxing); 5: (titles and first quire somewhat soiled and upper edge frayed, some dampstaining, small marginal oil stain to few leaves); 6: (light browning or dampstaining, heavier to first and last few leaves). Contemporary Russian bindings: 1: full leather, gilt, marbled endpapers (boards and spine rubbed and worn); 2: half vellum over paper boards (rubbed, hinges cracked, upper starting but sound); 3: original printed wrappers onlaid (worn, head and foot of spine cracked); 4: polished calf, marbled endpapers, boards and spine gilt, gilt-lettered label; 5: mottled calf, rebacked with original onlaid gilt spine (boards rubbed); 6: half calf over marbled boards, spine gilt. Provenance: 1: unidentified early ownership inscription to title - illegible stamp - another stamp ‘Mogiz’ with price - V.K. Lochkov (bookseller’s label to rear endleaf); 3: V.M. Vasileiko (ownership inscription dated 1929 on front endleaf); 3-4: stamps ‘Mag. 28 125 r.’ (bookseller) and ‘M3’ on rear endleaf.
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