Carroll, Lewis [Alice in Wonderland]. Alisa v Strane Chudes.

Translation by A. Olenich-Gnenenko.
Preface by V. Vazhdaev.
Illustrations by V. Alfeyevsky.

Moskva, Detgiz, 1958.
8vo, 142, [2] pp., ill.

In publisher’s pictorial hardback.
In good condition, worn to edges, small losses of paper to back cover.

Signed and inscribed by the translator: 'Dorogomu drugu - / Pavlu Khrisandovichu Maksimovu, / odnomu iz zachinateley sovetskogo / ocherka, Nestoru rostovskoy pisa- / telskoy organizatsii / Ot vsey dushi / na dobruyu pamyat' / A. Olenich-Gnenenko / 27|I 1959 g. / Rostov-Don' [To a dear friend - Pavel Khrisandovich Maksimov, one of the esteemed authors of the Soviet essay, the Nestor of the Rostov Writers' Organization. With all my heart in loving memory. January 27, 1959 Rostov-on-Don]. 

First and only edition of these illustrations. One of 30 000 copies printed.

This entirely new translation of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' was first published in 1940 in Rostov-on-Don, far from the Russian book center, as Moscow publishers were hesitant about Carroll's absurdism. This translation aimed to stay as faithful and close to the original text as possible and saw four reissues before Demurova's classical version emerged in 1967.
This is the only edition of this translation which was published in Moscow by the State Children's Publishing House ('Detgiz'). In contrast to Rostov's editions, it was printed on high-quality paper. Additionally, this edition included a special preface by Viktor Vazhdaev (1908-1978), a folk tale collector and writer. It contained a brief biography of Lewis Carroll, along with some details about his adventures in Russia and the story of Alice. According to Vazhdaev, Carroll introduced a new style of fairy tales—the absurd world of British society, where everything is relative. This message held significant importance for the Soviet people who had grown up hearing the slogan 'what is good and what is bad'.
The translator, Aleksandr Olenich-Gnenenko (1893–1963), was a journalist and poet. He personally dedicated this copy to Pavel Maksimov (1892-1977), a writer and the founder of the Writers' Union of Don.
The illustrations in this edition were created by the renowned artist Valery Alfeyevsky (1906-1989). He attended Ilya Mashkov's studio and later studied at VKhUTEMAS. Alfeyevsky was well-known for his illustrations of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.

OCLC locates two copies of this edition in the USA: in the University at Albany Library and in the USC Libraries (Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection).