Signed book in Russian: Khozyain and rabotnik (Master and Man). St. Petersburg: 1895. Paperback with blue leather slipcase, 3.5 x 5.75, 152 pages. Signed on the half-title page in crisp black ink, "Leo Tolstoy, 22 October 1895." The publication bears the original wrappers with an attractive frontispiece of Tolstoy and a set of 15 text illustrations. Autographic condition: fine, with scattered light foxing. Book condition: VG-/None, with a band of toning to the front wrapper, wear and some splitting to the spine, and light foxing to textblock; most pages are uncut at the top of the unread volume.
Provenance: The Russian Literature Collection of Walter Nelson.
This St. Petersburg edition was published on March 10, 1895, five days after the story first appeared in Moscow. The work remains one of Tolstoy's great short stories: a tale of tragedy about the transformation that takes place when one encounters death. The volume quickly attained popularity, resulting in several editions in Russia, as well as translations into English, French, and German that same year. Published works signed by the great Leo Tolstoy are virtually unobtainable, with this beautifully signed example, contained in its original wrappers, representing the first our company has offered.
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