Antique 1st Edition \"The Complete Works of L. A. Mei\" 1911 - in Russian - Rare
![Antique 1st Edition \](img-large/g/T8oAAOSwPYZU3soT/s-l1600/Antique-1st-Edition-The-Complete-Works-of-L-A-Mei-.jpg "Antique 1st Edition \")
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Antique 1st Edition \"The Complete Works of L. A. Mei\" 1911 - in Russian - Rare:
$20.00
This is a first edition of \"полное собране сочиненй л. а. мея\" (\"The Complete Works of L. A. Mei\"). Printed and published in 1911 in St. Petersburg, Russia by the famous A.F. Marx Publishers, the book is entirely in Russian and typeset with wonderfully gothic lettering to accent the Cyrillic writing. It is a rare and beautiful, pre-revolution artifact. Lev Aleksandrovich Mei (Russian: Лев Алекса́ндрович Мей; 25 February [O.S. 13 February] 1822 – 28 May [O.S. 16 May] 1862) was a Russian dramatist and poet.
Mei was born on 13/25 February 1822, in Moscow. His father was a German officer who was wounded in the Battle of Borodino and died young. His mother was Russian. Mei completed his studies in Moscow in 1841 and served in the office of the Governor for 10 years. He became part of the \"young editorial staff\" of Mikhail Pogodin\'s \"Moskovityanin\". For a time, he taught secondary school, but was forced to retire because of conflicts with his colleagues. He moved to Saint Petersburg, where he was active in literary endeavors. It was during this period that he wrote \"Reading Library\", \"Domestic Notes\", \"Son of the Fatherland\", \"Russian Word\", \"Russian Peace\", and \"Svetoch.\"
He wrote two historical dramas, The Tsar\'s Bride (1849) and The Maid of Pskov (1859), both of which the composer Rimsky-Korsakov later used as the basis for operas. Mei lived a dissipated and bohemian life, with a great fondness for drink.
Some wear on the cover and spine (see photos). Several dog-eared pages (see photo). A few pencil marks on a few pages (see photo). One page has been scribbled on in pink crayon or colored pencil (see photo)
Antique 1st Edition \"The Complete Works of L. A. Mei\" 1911 - in Russian - Rare:
$20.00