Dreiser, Theodore [The Color of a Great City]. N’iu-Iork.

Translation by P. Okhrimenko.
Illustrations by C.B. Falls.
Wood cuts by I. Pavlov.
Cover by A. Levin.

Moskva-Leningrad, GIZ, 1927.
8vo, 127 pp.

In original pictorial stiff paper covers and dust jacket.
In good condition, corners very lightly bumped, dust jacket restored, stained to top edge, owner notes in pencil.

Rare in dust jacket. This is one of the first two editions of Dreiser’s book published in Russian in 1927. One of 7 000 copies printed.

When Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) arrived in Soviet Russia in November 1927, his collection of essays about life in New York City, 'The Color of a Great City', had already been published there without his authorization. It was published twice in one year: once by the State Publishing House (GIZ) and once by the 'Mysl’' publishing house.
Dreiser had a special meeting with an executive from GIZ, during which he was informed of the reasons for publishing abridged versions of his books in the USSR—namely, to make them more affordable for readers. During this meeting, he received one thousand US dollars for the two books already published by GIZ ('The Color of a Great City' and three stories from 'Twelve Men'). He also negotiated future fees for Russian translations, which ranged from six hundred to one thousand US dollars per book.
The book was translated by Petr Okhrimenko (1888-1975), a prominent translator who had resided in the United States from 1908 to 1911 and worked at the Edison plant. Upon his return to Russia, he worked as a translator for the Communist International (Comintern) before transitioning to translating fiction. Okhrimenko is renowned for his translations of works by authors such as Ambrose Bierce, Jack London, Theodore Dreiser, Ernest Hemingway, and Sinclair Lewis. One of his most notable achievements is his translation of David Fridman's novel 'Mendel Marantz'.
For this edition, Ivan Pavlov (1872-1951), a painter and graphic artist who also taught at VKhUTEMAS, prepared woodcuts using original illustrations by the American artist Charles Buckles Falls.

Libman, # 2358.

OCLC locates five copies of this edition: in the Harvard Library, the New York Public Library, the Princeton University Library, the University of Pennsylvania Library, and the Indiana University Library.