A rare edition of Nikolai Gogol’s Nevsky Prospekt drew intense bidding at a recent auction, fetching 850 thousand rubles. The sale, reported by TASS, cites the Litfond auction house as the source of the result, underscoring the ongoing interest in Russian literature treasures among collectors in the region.
The Nevsky Prospekt item on offer originated from St. Petersburg and dates back to 1905. Published by the Circle of Lovers of Russian Fine Publications, the edition was produced in the city and bound entirely in leather. It features a gold heading and a moiré endpaper, and its pages are enriched with illustrations by Dmitry Kardovsky. A handwritten dedication inscription from 1944, addressed to Gidalia Rakhlin, accompanies the volume. Rakhlin is noted as a former manager of the Writers’ Union store on Nevsky Prospekt and later the proprietor of a poetry shop adjacent to the Mariinsky Theatre. The initial asking price for this unique copy stood at 170 thousand rubles, a figure that clearly did not reflect the eventual auction outcome but nonetheless illustrated the strong demand for rare Gogol manuscripts and related ephemera.
Another prominent lot featured a rare children’s book by Vladimir Mayakovsky, published in 1928 under the title Each Page is Either an Elephant or a Lioness. In remarkably good condition and illustrated by Kirill Zdanevich, this work commanded a sale price of 500 thousand dollars, signaling robust interest in Mayakovsky’s late-1920s children’s literature among international collectors. In the same sale, the very first complete collection of the joint works by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov was sold for 360 thousand rubles, highlighting the enduring appeal of Soviet-era satire and the duo’s place in literary histories.
In a separate note from the preceding day, a different marquee item drew attention: Colin Firth’s iconic wet shirt from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The description suggested that the item was to be auctioned in London, drawing media interest from fans of classic literary adaptations and film memorabilia alike. The juxtaposition of such items with serious Russian literary artifacts underscores the broad spectrum of pieces that typically appear in high-profile auctions, attracting bidders from around the world who value both cultural significance and tangible connection to the works and performances they admire.
Additional remarks from the auction circuit included statements by Vanya Dmitrienko regarding early concert events, indicating the ongoing activity and chatter typical in the days surrounding major sales. These comments illustrate how a bustling auction calendar weaves together literature, film heritage, and cultural history, creating a dynamic marketplace where every item can become part of a larger narrative about authors, performers, and the eras they inhabited.