Pique Dame
München: S. Buchenau & A. Häger, 1923. Limited edition. Hardcover. 1/560. Octavo. 78, [2]pp. Original half morocco over paper covered boards, with gold lettering and tooling on spine and illustration in gilt on front cover. Exquisite German edition of "The Queen of Spades," a delightful short story by Alexander Pushkin about the insatiable greed for riches. Pushkin wrote the story in the autumn of 1833 in Boldino. It was first published in the literary magazine Biblioteka dlya chteniya in March 1834. The character of the Countess was inspired by Princess Natalya Petrovna Galitzine (Princesse Moustache). The story was the basis of the operas The Queen of Spades (1890) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, La dame de pique (1850) by Fromental Halévy and Pique Dame (1865) by Franz von Suppé (the overture to the Suppé work is all that remains in today's repertoire). This limited edition (No. 205/560) is exquisitely illustrated with numerous b/w drawings by German artist Kurth Werth (1896-1983). Some rubbing along edges of binding. Edges of covers slightly foxed and age-toned. Previous owner's signature on free front endpaper. Text in German. Binding in overall good, interior in very good condition. g. Item #32677
Price: $95.00