Books

His masterpiece --- First edition of one of the most celebrated works of twentieth-century Russian literature. An appealing example. Subtitled "an experiment in literary investigation," Solzhenitsyn's epic work blurs the boundaries of historiography and novel-writing, as the Nobel Prize-winning author draws on his own experience of eight years in the Gulag (the acronym stands for "Main Directorate of Correctional Labour Camps") followed by internal exile, for criticising Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. He also weaves his narrative from the personal testimony of fellow inmates and a plethora of legal and personal documents. As historian Roy Medvedev writes: "I believe there are few who will get up from their desks after reading this book the same as when they opened its first page. In this regard I have nothing with which to compare Solzhenitsyn's book either in Russian or world literature." Solzhenitsyn worked on The Gulag Archipelago from 1958 to 1968, but held back from attempting to publish it until his hand was forced by the KGB's discovery of a copy of one of his typescripts in 1973.A microfilm had been sent to the West a few years earlier and after the discovery of the typescript in Moscow, he ordered the YMCA Press in Paris to go to print in order to forestall any possible machinations by the KGB. This is the first complete, regular edition, published from 1973 to 1975, after Volume 1 appeared by itself in a limited run of around 200 copies earlier in 1973. Publishers in the West raced to produce translations of this literary bombshell, with English and French versions of Volume 1 appearing as early as 1974. Provenance: Physical description:Three volumes. 8vo (19.3 x 13.6 cm). Complete with b&w illustrations in text. Publisher's illustratedwrappers. Condition:Wrappers of vol. 1 lightly browned, minute dent to spine head of vol. 2, spine of vol. 3 not as faded as often; internally fresh, a pleasant copy. Bibliography:Mathew 18; Medvedev, R. 1974. "On Solzhenitsyn's Book The Gulag Archipelago," Soviet Studies in Literature 10 (3): 44-62; RNB Solzhenitsyn 16.

The Gulag Archipelago is a three-volume, non-fiction work by Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that was first published in 1973. It covers the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system. The extensive work combines historical research, Solzhenitsyn's own experiences as a Gulag prisoner, and the testimonies of other inmates to describe the brutalities of the Gulag.