Dreiser, Theodore [An Unusual History and Other Stories]. Neobyknovennaia Istoriia i Drugie Rasskazy = Free, and Other Stories.

Translation by T. and V. Ravinskikh.
Cover by A. Ushin.

Leningrad, Izdatelstvo "Mysl’", [1927].
12mo, 194, [1] pp., [1] pp.of cat.

In original pictorial wrappers.
In good condition, lightly rubbed, small owner mark on half-title and title, small stains on p. 70-71.

First Russian edition. One of 6 200 copies published.

This collection comprises six stories from the original edition 'Free, and Other Stories' (1918): 'A Story of Stories', 'McEwen of the Shining Slave Makers', 'The Second Choice', 'Old Rogaum and His Theresa', 'When the Old Century Was New', and 'Married'.
The stories were translated by William Ravinskii (Rovinskii; 1902-1971) and his wife Tatiana (1902-after 1981).
In November of the 1927, the American writer visited the USSR to partake in the November festivities commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. During his visit, Dreiser held a special meeting with an executive from the State Publishing House (GIZ), during which he received one thousand US dollars for two books already published by GIZ. These books were 'The Color of a Great City' and three stories from 'Twelve Men', as noted in Dreiser’s diary. He also negotiated future fees for Russian translations, ranging from six hundred to one thousand US dollars for each book. However, we lack information about any connection he may have had with 'Mysl'' publishing house, which issued three more of Dreiser's books in 1927.
In his Russian Diary, we find an account of his journey on the steamer of the Soviet Trading Company 'Pestel', where he encountered a bookstand featuring 'Sister Carrie' and a volume of short stories titled 'An Unusual History' (Riggio, Thomas P., West, James, L.W. Dreiser’s Russian Diary. 1996. P. 264).

Libman, # 2360.

OCLC locates only one copy of this edition: in the University of Pennsylvania Library.