Demon.

St Petersburg, M.O. Volf', 1910. . Square 4to (255 x 245 mm); frontispiece portrait, 5 colour and 4 black & white plates, all with tissue guards, text printed in blue with decorative borders, facsimile manuscript at the rear, printed on thick paper; near contemporary half black morocco over floral fabric boards, gilt ruled, title in gilt to upper cover, spine in parts. Finely bound illustrated edition of Lermontov's Demon, one of the most celebrated works of Russian Romantic literature. Alfred Eberling (1872-1951) was a student of Ilya Repin and a court painter under Nicholas II before the Revolution. Despite his Imperial background he was a successful Soviet artist and his portrait of Lenin was featured on the 3 rouble note. Printed on thick paper, this lavish publication perfectly captures the mood of Lermontov's epic poem set against the dramatic backdrop of the Caucasus mountains.