85.00€
Out of stock
A highly desirable complete first edition of The History of Russian Literature (Η Ιστορία της Ρωσικής Λογοτεχνίας), written by the celebrated Greek author and philosopher Nikos Kazantzakis, internationally renowned for Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ.
Published in Athens by Eleftheroudakis in 1930, this is the complete work in two matching volumes, preserved in their original publisher’s decorated cloth bindings.
This scholarly study reflects Kazantzakis’ profound engagement with Russian intellectual thought and literature, exploring the works of major writers including Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Gorky. Written before the international fame of his later novels, it offers valuable insight into the development of one of the twentieth century’s most influential literary figures.
A very attractive complete set in the original publisher’s bindings.
The bindings remain bright and well preserved, retaining their striking red and blue cloth covers with black decorative stamping. Light shelf wear and minor rubbing are present, consistent with age. Corners show slight bumping, and there is gentle wear to the spine ends.
The interiors are clean and complete, with the text remaining fresh and highly legible. The bindings are sound and the volumes remain structurally solid.
Overall, a well-preserved example of an increasingly scarce first edition.
First editions of Kazantzakis’ early scholarly works are considerably scarcer than his later novels and are increasingly sought after by collectors of modern Greek literature. Complete sets in their original publisher’s bindings are encountered far less frequently than individual volumes.
An important bibliographical work and an excellent opportunity to acquire an early publication by one of the greatest literary figures of twentieth-century Greece.
