Books

First edition in English, first printing, of the author's final play. The translation was written for the dramatic department at Yale University by the Jewish Russian Max Solomon Mandell, instructor of Russian at Yale from 1907 to 1924. He also translated for the dramatic department Gogol's The Government Inspector (1908). In his preface, Mandell provides a sketch of Chekhov's life and reputation inside and outside of Russia. Chekhov, "like many other great Russian writers, is almost unknown to the English speaking people here, and but very little better abroad, although in his own country he has been unanimously acclaimed [as] the most talented of the younger generations of Russian novelists" (p. 7). The premiere at Moscow Art Theatre on 17 January 1904 was directed by Constantin Stanislavski, who staged it as a tragedy despite Chekhov writing it as a comedy. The Russian edition was published in book form in June 1904, the month before Chekhov's death. We can trace just one copy of this first English translation in auction records. Octavo. Original green cloth, front cover lettered within gilt frame. Folding facsimile plate after a letter from Alla Nazimova praising the translation, as issued. Cloth and gilt bright, rubbing to spine ends, with small mark near foot, contents clean, neat tape repair to outer margin of two prelims. An excellent copy. Meister 173; Sendich, p. 340; not in Line. Charles W. Meister, "Chekhov's Reception in England and America", American Slavic and East European Review, Feb. 1953.

The Cherry Orchard is a play by Anton Chekhov that depicts a family's struggles as they face the sale of their estate, known for its beautiful cherry orchard. It's a poignant reflection on change, social class, and the passage of time.