Books

This 5.25 x 7.75 inch, 773 page hard cover book is an 1886 first edition in English of this internationally acclaimed novel. This book is in very good condition and is clearly a first edition but the issue points make it difficult to precisely establish which printing edition this is. This copy shows the green cloth cover with gilt lettering on front panel and spine. The front panel shows the Imperial House of Romanov seal - - and the spine shows a small gilt crown. The covers show moderate wear with the corners whitened but not worn through and with bumps showing to the two top corners. The spine extremities show only a bit of crinkling and whitening but no fraying or tears. The front panel of the cover shows three modest dark spots. The binding is still in at least near fine condition with the binding square and tight, and with no cracks or separations showing to the endpapers and text block. The interior shows the soft green floral endpapers front and back - - with only a small stamped previous owner?s name on the front paste-down. The interior text of this copy is in at least very good condition and probably near fine - - with the page corners sharp, the pages with little age-toning, and no markings showing anywhere. This copy has the share block opposite the title page with three titles -*By the Same Author.*- The title page shows the elaborate Crowell monogram. The rear of the text block shows four pages of ads - - with the first page showing a list of -*These Russian Stories*- beginning with -*Dostoyevsky?s Works*- - - then three titles by Tolstoi, then followed by three additional authors titles. The following three pages show full page ads for -*Meditations of a Parish Priest*- the -*Crime and Punishment,*- and then the final -*Marquis of Penalta.*- 773 pages.

Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Many authors consider Anna Karenina the greatest work of literature ever written, and Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel. It deals with themes of betrayal, faith, family, marriage, Imperial Russian society, desire, and rural vs. city life. The complex novel unfolds against the backdrop of 19th-century Russian high society and tells the tragic story of a married aristocrat and her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. The novel explores a diverse range of topics throughout its pages and profoundly influences the genres of realist and romantic fiction.