Anonymous (Bludov, Dmitrii)

Les Dernieres Heures de la Vie de L'Empereur Nicolas I (the Last Hours in the Life of Emperor Nicholas I)

Vienne (Vienna), M. Auer, 1855. First edition in French (translated and published in the same year as the original Russian); 10 1/2 x 7; pp. 1-25, [7]; green wraps, printed and ruled in black; illustrated with three plates by Jos. Stoufs; lacking portrait frontis, else complete; tiny, white label to upper left corner; faint, discolored spot to margin of front wrap; small chips to tips of spine and slight curling to corners; scattered foxing, mostly to margins and verso of plates; in about very good- condition. Published anonymously, the booklet was allegedly written by Count Dmitrii Nikolaevich Bludov, alt. Dimitri Bloudoff (1785 - 1864) - a Russian noble, imperial official, and a member of the inner circle of Emperor Nicholas I. Over time, Bludov served as Minister of Justice, Minister of the Interior, Chairman of the State Council, and President of the Academy of Sciences. He was also a historian, author, founder of the Arzamas Literary Society, close friend of Turgenev, Karamzin, and Zhukovskii, and legal advisor to Nicholas, writing many of his speeches, editing the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire in 1841-1842, drafting a new Criminal Code in 1845, and presiding over the court that condemned the Decembrists to death. The book gave the official version of Emperor Nicholas' death, i.e. pneumonia resulting from an untreated cold, touting his unwavering Christian values and refuting the circulating speculations that the ruler had committed suicide, while the Crimean War was raging. Very good .

ZH BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 002736

Catalogue: Romanovs

Keywords: Romanovs

Romanov, Nikolai

Spovid Buvshoho Tsaria (Confession of the Former Tsar)

Winnipeg, Canada, Nakladom "Ruskoi knyharni, 1918. First Edition. First Ukrainian edition, translated from Russian, n. d. (ca 1918); 7 x 5 1/2; pp. [1], 4-64; green wraps, printed and ruled in black; a few nicks to fore-edge and a small chip to corner of front wrap; thin strip of foxing to margin of back wrap; overall in very good condition. Allegedly, written by the the last Emperor of Russia Nikolai II Romanov as an explanation to the events and reasons for his "abdication of the throne," it was sharply criticized and labeled "not entirely, but predominantly conscious lies" by the anonymous author of the preface, to the point, where one could wonder, if the "cofession" was really written by the tsar. Chapters included the history of the Romanovs with Rasputin, Tsarina Alexandra's contempt for the Russian people, etc. Very good .

ZH BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 002706

Catalogue: Romanovs

Keywords: Romanov Family, Autobiography

Savchenko, P. (Petr Sevastianovich)

Russkaia Dievushka (Russian Girl) [Signed / Inscribed by Author]

Bielgrad (Belgrade), By the Author, 1930. First Edition. First edition; 7 1/4 x 4 3/4; pp. [2], 5-64; beige wraps, illustrated with a portrait of Olga Nikolaevna Romanova and a facsimile of her signature; mild age-toning to margins; a small signature of previous owner to upper margin of front wrap; a bit of glue showing at hinges; a small puncture (not affecting readability) to margin of last leaf; overall in very good condition. With a lengthy inscription to an identified recipient, signature and date. Petr Sevastianovich Savchenko (1881 - 1945 [?]) was born in a noble family, the son of a Major General in the Imperial Army. He was a lawyer and a Lieutenant Colonel in the White Army. Savchenko escaped Russia after the October Revolution and settled in Belgrade. His current biography, a moving tribute to Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova, was compiled from documents, memories, and stories - of his own and those of others, who had known and loved Emperor Nicholas II's eldest child. Very good .

ZH BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 003155

Catalogue: Romanovs

Keywords: Romanovs