PLOKHOVO ALEXANDRA (1811-1867) Improvizatsii iz rasskazov moikh znakomykh [Improvisations from the Stories of My Acquaintances]. Moscow: V. Kirilov’s Rapid Printing Press, 1847. – 82, 36, 48, 53, III, [2] pages; 15 × 10 cm.

In owner's full cloth binding. In good condition. Text block slightly trimmed, stains and foxing on the title page, stamps from a deaccessioned library on the title page and its verso, as well as on p. 17; bookseller’s stamp on the free endpaper. A publisher's convolute of three original works by the Russian writer Plokhovo Alexandra Ivanovna (1811-1867): Lyubov’ samyy luchshiy doktor [Love is the Best Doctor], Lyudmila: Otryvok iz zhizni devushki [Lyudmila: A Fragment from a Girl’s Life], Chubuk: Povest’ 1846 g. (Istinnoe sobytie 18... g.) [Chubuk: A Tale from 1846 (A True Event of the 18...s)], as well as a translation from Polish, Mshchenie. Povest’ vremen minuvshikh [Vengeance: A Tale of Bygone Times]. The collection features naive yet realistic depictions of social contradictions—its protagonists include drunkards, impoverished brides, and destitute orphans—set against a backdrop of romantic conflicts and miraculous transformations. The emerging theme of religious piety in this book would later become the foundation of Alexandra Ivanovna’s literary and public endeavors. The book was published with a dedication to Platon Vasilyevich Golubkov, a Nadvorny Sovetnik (Court Councillor). A rare work of fiction from the first half of the 19th century, with no recorded auction appearances.