DOSTOEVSKY (Fyodor). — RUSSIAN CHURCHES. DOSTOEVSKY (Fyodor). — Russian Churches....

DOSTOEVSKY (Fyodor). — RUSSIAN CHURCHES.
DOSTOEVSKY (Fyodor). — Russian Churches.

Texts by Dostoevsky translated by Élisabeth de Solms. Technical note by J. Cantou.
La Pierre-qui-Vire, Zodiaque, 1969.

Square quarto (approx. 26 × 21 cm), 198 pp., publisher’s red full cloth, large white monogram stamped on the front cover, title on the spine. “Les Points cardinaux” series, no. 18. The book was cataloged in 1969 by the BnF and heritage catalogs.

First edition.

A beautiful volume devoted to Russian religious architecture, structured around a selection of texts by Fyodor Dostoevsky—excerpts from various works and his correspondence—translated by Élisabeth de Solms.

The illustrations, which are particularly spectacular, include approximately 80 images—architectural photographs, landscapes, icons, frescoes, and reproductions of religious art—some in color, with numerous full-page and double-page spreads. A review published as early as 1969 specifies 200 pages and 80 illustrations.

The juxtaposition of Dostoevsky’s spiritual texts with Orthodox iconography gives this volume a character quite distinct from Zodiaque’s usual architectural monographs: the book is as much an exploration of Russian spirituality and Dostoevsky’s religious thought as it is a study of Russian churches.

A copy in the publisher’s binding, without the illustrated dust jacket. The red cloth binding remains fresh, with a few minor marks and normal signs of wear; the interior is clean and well-preserved. The dust jacket is missing—complete copies were originally described as “full cloth, with dust jacket.”