Measures approx. 8" x 6", 270 pp., hardcover, illustrated. Russian text. Printed in pre-reform Russian orthography containing currently obsolete letters. Published by I. Sytin & Co. Publishing, Moscow. Rare for this period, the front cover graphic is a lithograph in full color, signed by the artist in the bottom right corner. As stated in fine print at its bottom, it was made in 1913 in the I. Sytin & Co. Lithography Shop in Moscow. The back cover features a list of other fairy tales and fables published by Sytin & Co. Each tale is illustrated with at least one b/w lithograph, most of

Measures approx. 8" x 6", 270 pp., hardcover, illustrated. Russian text. Printed in pre-reform Russian orthography containing currently obsolete letters. Published by I. Sytin & Co. Publishing, Moscow. Rare for this period, the front cover graphic is a lithograph in full color, signed by the artist in the bottom right corner. As stated in fine print at its bottom, it was made in 1913 in the I. Sytin & Co. Lithography Shop in Moscow. The back cover features a list of other fairy tales and fables published by Sytin & Co. Each tale is illustrated with at least one b/w lithograph, most of them above the title but sometimes also at the end of the tale. Even though it is not stated in the book explicitly, comparison with other contemporary and similarly illustrated books suggests that they may have been printed off engravings on wood which, in their turn, copied the original drawing. This volume contains 29 rather short fairy tales, not as widely known as Andersen's larger classics such as The Snow Queen, Thumbelina or The Ugly Duckling. The title page features a handwritten dedication in English, signed by the giver's last name Чернов (Chernov).

In very good condition. The colors of the front cover are bright and vibrant. The boards show only very minor corner bumps, some of which are a bit frayed. The spine shows a 1.5"-long tear, possibly made by a mouse trying to get to the nutritious glue of the binding. The binding is tight and strong, no pages appear to be missing. The front free endpaper is separated at the hinge but present and available for repair. The back endpaper features only partial separations and is still attached. The internal pages are mildly age-toned along the edges giving them an attractive vignette'ish appearance. A few pages feature small tears at the bottom where the paper has grown somewhat brittle over the decades. Overall though, the textblock is in very good condition, and the book is perfectly readable.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875), perhaps the most famous Dane in the world, was born to poor parents and rose to world-wide fame thanks to his talent as an innovative tale-spinner who introduced colloquial speech and real-life emotions to his tales, not all of which had a happy ending, another innovation in itself. As much as we can be sure that there is hardly anyone who is not familiar with Andersen's fairy tales, reading this volume's index may raise quite a few brows in surprise and joyful anticipation of experiencing a yet unknown side of Hans Christian Andersen.

Please note that the pen in our photo is for size reference.
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