Meyer, Conrad Ferdinand (1825 - 1898) Lunacharskii, Anatolii Vasil´evich (1875 - 1933), transl., ed. Annenkov [Annenkoff], Iurii [Georges] Pavlovich, artist (1889 - 1974)	Lirika. Perevod A. V. Lunacharskogo. Peterburg, 'Alkonost', 1920. 50, [6 p.]	€200,00

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8 vo, unusual custom - made wrappers executed for a collector of Russian poetry books by private Leningrad binder of 1930s, in all the probability close to photographer Moses Nappelbaum circle. Attractive printed label pasted to front cover in far right corner. In Stalin´s Russia producing without Glavlit permision even such perephiral printed matter, was considered to be a serious crime punishable by exile or even imprisonment. A version of Iu. Annenkov publisher´s logo is not recorded (?) by bibliographer and bibliophile Ia. E. Kiperman (1893 - 1938) and, probably, missing in his collection, locked up away from researchers at GPB (RNB) by library hacks of 'Postperestroyka Russia', as well as Skalkovsky´s proofs for his third edition of 'Mneniia russkikh [...]'. Picture and description of this version are not represented in Leonid Soskin reference work either (See: Soskin, L.M. (1995) p.141-142, 327 - 329.) One page preface by Anatoly Lunacharsky, then Commissariat of Enlightenment and an acquintance of Semen Alianskii, t he owner of 'Alkonost'. Previous owner of this book was a pre- WWII Leningrad party functionary, who survived purges and starting 1944 worked in MGB apparatus in Lithuania. While in pre- war Leningrad, he had strong ties to NKVD, military and some top brass police officers. He was also a collector of poetry books. Conrad Ferdinand Meyer was a Swiss poet and historical novelist, a master of realism chiefly remembered for stirring narrative ballads. He suffered from bouts of mental illness, sometimes requiring hospitalization; his mother, similarly but more severely afflicted, killed herself. Meyer found his calling only late in life; for many years, being practically bilingual, he wavered between French and German. The Franco-Prussian War brought the final decision. - Meyer identified himself with the German cause, and as a manifesto of his sympathies published the little epic Hutten's Last Days in 1871. After that his works appeared in rapid succession. While studying in Zürich, A. V. Lunacharskii in all the probability acquinted himself with Conrad Meyer works. Lunacharsky always thought very highly of himself as a translator. Becoming the Commissariat of Enlightenment he quickly found the way to publish his own works and translations at ' new Russia´s ' best presses. Some publishers used his weakness to get favors and commissions from new government, and especially such rare commodity necessary for printing, as better paper.Semen Aliansky, the owner of 'Alkonost' and first publisher of Alexander Blok´s 'Twelve' was one of such publishers. There was a small literary scandal after book saw the light of the day. Some critics accused Lunacharsky of rather 'camouflageing' his experiments in poetry, then translating Conrad Meyer´s poems. Those were the golden days of bolshevism, none of the critics was shot but the book, one of the very few out of 50 books printed by 'Alkonost', became a remainder.Most copies were sent to pulp.Surviving copies were considered to be 'junk' by the majority of bibliophiles who collected poetrybooks.Copies of the book were still easily available even in early 1960s, becoming a rarity in 1990s. See: Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Commissariat of Enlightenment: Soviet Organization of Education and the Arts under Lunacharsky, October 1917–1921. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2002; O'Connor, T. E. The Politics of Soviet Culture: Anatolii Lunacharskii. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1983; Tait, A. L. Lunacharskii: Poet of the Revolution (1875–1907). Birmingham: Department of Russian Language and Literature, University of Birmingham, 1984.