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TOLSTOY, Leo (1828-1910). Voina i Mir. [War and Peace]. Moscow: T. Ris [for the author], 1868-69.
First edition of 'the most important work in the whole of Russian realistic fiction'. Tolstoy's use of details gave the book 'alone perhaps among all books – the appearance of actual life' (Mirsky, p.271). War and Peace is one of the great nineteenth-century novels in any language, and stands at the peak of the realist mode. Isaak Babel once quipped that 'if the world could write by itself it would write like Tolstoy'. Even Turgenev, whose quarrel with Tolstoy almost led to a duel, conceded that 'nothing better has been written by anyone in Russia, and probably nothing so good has ever been written'. War and Peace was self-published; Tolstoy contracted Ris, advanced 4500 rubles for the printing of 4800 copies, and promised 30 percent of the gross profit to the printer and the proofreader. The enterprise showed a handsome return: War and Peace retailed for 10 rubles, and quickly went into a second edition following enthusiastic reviews. Kilgour 1195; not in Smirnov-Sokol’skii, Moia biblioteka.
6 volumes in 5, vols 2-3 bound together, two parts in vol. 1, octavo (232 x 146mm). With the half-titles (a little marginal foxing, 1: couple of marginal ink stains, 2: pp.177-178 misbound, lower outer corner of last two leaves somewhat frayed, 3: offsetting on pp.164-165 and 172-173, couple of light marginal waterstains in last three quires, 4: scattered ink spots in one quire, 5: light waterstain at lower outer corner of one quire, couple of ink splashes in another). Uniformly bound set in 20th-century Russian crimson crushed morocco, marbled boards, spine gilt and lettered (boards a little scuffed, 2: lacking rear endleaf, 3: front endleaf repaired, small clean tear to upper outer corner of p.239, 5: edges rubbed).
First edition of 'the most important work in the whole of Russian realistic fiction'. Tolstoy's use of details gave the book 'alone perhaps among all books – the appearance of actual life' (Mirsky, p.271). War and Peace is one of the great nineteenth-century novels in any language, and stands at the peak of the realist mode. Isaak Babel once quipped that 'if the world could write by itself it would write like Tolstoy'. Even Turgenev, whose quarrel with Tolstoy almost led to a duel, conceded that 'nothing better has been written by anyone in Russia, and probably nothing so good has ever been written'. War and Peace was self-published; Tolstoy contracted Ris, advanced 4500 rubles for the printing of 4800 copies, and promised 30 percent of the gross profit to the printer and the proofreader. The enterprise showed a handsome return: War and Peace retailed for 10 rubles, and quickly went into a second edition following enthusiastic reviews. Kilgour 1195; not in Smirnov-Sokol’skii, Moia biblioteka.
6 volumes in 5, vols 2-3 bound together, two parts in vol. 1, octavo (232 x 146mm). With the half-titles (a little marginal foxing, 1: couple of marginal ink stains, 2: pp.177-178 misbound, lower outer corner of last two leaves somewhat frayed, 3: offsetting on pp.164-165 and 172-173, couple of light marginal waterstains in last three quires, 4: scattered ink spots in one quire, 5: light waterstain at lower outer corner of one quire, couple of ink splashes in another). Uniformly bound set in 20th-century Russian crimson crushed morocco, marbled boards, spine gilt and lettered (boards a little scuffed, 2: lacking rear endleaf, 3: front endleaf repaired, small clean tear to upper outer corner of p.239, 5: edges rubbed).
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