[Item #4941] Leo Tolstoy. Ernest J. Simmons, Leo Tolstoy.
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy

Boston, MA: Atlantic Monthly Press/ Little, Brown and Company, 1946. First Trade Edition. Hardcover. From the library of Ben Shahn, signed & dated by him. The classic, comprehensive & still-definitive biography of the iconic Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) by Ernest J. Simmons (1903-1972), the great American scholar & writer. Here we offer an especially collectible copy of Simmons' most acclaimed & famous work: First trade edition, first printing "Published November 1946" as stated on copyright page, hardcover without apparently very scarce dust jacket. With frontispiece portrait of Tolstoy in the year of his death, & several captioned historical photographs & illustrations throughout. On blank front paste-down, near lower right corner, is affixed an oval sticker which states "From the Library of/ (illustration of hand holding paintbrush)/ Ben Shahn/ and/ Bernarda Bryson Shahn." Ben Shahn (1898-1969) is of course the canonical American artist of the Social Realist School, Bernarda Bryson Shahn was his second wife. On blank front endpaper, near upper edge toward right corner, Shahn has hand-written: "(signed) Beh Shahn/ Dec(ember) 1946." A particularly interesting & important rarity in which a Giant of literature meets a Giant of the arts, the Shahn's signature dated just after the time & during the year of publication. See also our item No. 3937. In fair-to-good condition (made up for, we believe, by its extremely significant provenance) with moderate-to-significant rubbing, fading & occasional spotting to front, back covers & spine; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; small area at/ near blank upper spine-edge & corners with loss of brown surface cloth; moderate rubbing, browning to side & lower edges of text block (the former untrimmed as issued); moderate fading, scratching to brown-dyed upper edge of same. Interior good with moderate browning, occasional spotting to blank paste-downs & endpapers; edge between front paste-down & endpaper closed-torn & exposed to binding; very small sticker with "973" hand-written in blue ink at lower left corner-edge of front endpaper; mild browning mostly to blank margins of page leaves; tiny bumps, faint creases at upper corners of a few of same. An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Fair- Good. [Item #4941]

Price: $150.00