A Russian author puts the record straight
SVININE [SVININ], Pavel Petrovich. Sketches of Russia. London: printed for Ackermann. 1814.
8vo. Contemporary full polished calf, spine with raised bands, compartments ornamented in gilt, morocco lettering-piece (expertly rebacked, retaining original backstrip); pp. [6], x, 112, 15 finely engraved and hand-coloured aquatint plates after the author's drawings, one sheet of engraved musical notation on both sides; occasional mainly marginal spotting to plates, a little toning to text in places, otherwise a very attractive copy, text printed on high-quality cream vélin paper; contemporary name inscribed at head of p. I (the same cut off from upper margin of pp. 41/42); 1920s bookplate of Thomas and Jania Erwin, significant American book collectors with an impressive Lewis Carroll collection.
First edition.
Svinin was born in 1787 and entered the foreign service at the age of 18 which gave him the opportunity to visit the young United States, were he produced remarkable watercolours of American scenery and life and published in English. After his return to Russia he settled as writer, artist and editor, well connected with his contemporary writers, such as Gogol and Pushkin. In the preface the author points out that there are falsehoods and misconceptions in many Western travel books on Russia, which were just believed, as the readers could not fact-check. He then gives short biographical accounts of the Imperial couple, before describing the two major cities, life of Cossacks and Circassians.
Abbey 225; Tooley 478 ('a scarce book with very charming plates').
#2119935