Still More Russian Picture Tales by Valery Carrick - 1922

While the folktales of Valery Carrick have been popularly re-published throughout the 20th century what we love about this book is of course, the date it was published (1922), it is a rare and unique find, but also the card that is attached to the front free endpaper. "For Catherine & Lewis to read during the whooping cough days, with love from Katherine and George." Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. While the vaccine was invented in 1914 it did not become widely available until the 1940's when it was combined to become the DTP shot. Prior to that time, it was not uncommon for babies and young children to die from this childhood disease. Hopefully Catherine and Lewis were lucky children that survived.

Valery Carrick (1869 – 1942) was a Scottish/Russian/Norwegian illustrator, draftsman and translator. Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia he was the son of a Scottish-born photographer that went on to study at the Imperial Academy of the Arts in Saint Petersburg from 1882 – 1886. In 1917 he and his wife became refugees in Norway because of the October Revolution in Russia. In 1933 and 1936 he made several tours in Europe collecting folklore and holding lectures. While he distinguished himself as a caricaturist both in Russia and England, today he is most remembered as a collector, teller, and illustrator of folktales. His translator Nevill Forbes was his cousin.

Condition: Small oblong hardbound book with dark rust cloth boards and a full decorative pastedown to the front. There is minimal wear to the back strip and the board edges but there is fading and blemishes to the pastedown and to the rear board. All four corners have bumping and wear. The spine is straight with no cracking to the end papers, hinges are tight. Text block is straight and firm. Age tanning throughout with darkening at the page edges. As mentioned, there is a previous owner card attached to front free endpaper. Interior pages are in very good condition with no chips, tears, or other previous owner marks. 119 pages. Dimensions: H – 5-1/4" W – 7-1/4"