1975 First English Edition - The Mitten, A Ukrainian Fairy-Tale Illustrated

An unusually shaped and beautifully illustrated 1975 First English Edition of the traditional Ukrainian folk tale The Mitten, with striking artwork by celebrated Soviet artists Erik Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev.

Author: Traditional Ukrainian folk tale; translated into English by Tom Botting.
Title: The Mitten: A Ukrainian Fairy-Tale.
Publisher: Moscow: Malysh Publishers, 1975. Imported in the United States by Imported Publications, Inc., Chicago.
Edition: First English Edition, 1975.
Language: English.
Pages: Unpaginated.
Size: Approximately 8 x 10.5 inches.
Binding: Very good original illustrated softcover binding, boldly die-cut in the shape of a mitten, with colorful pictorial decoration to both covers. Light surface rubbing and minor edge wear consistent with age. Stapled construction with some light rust to the staples. Original American importer’s label to rear cover. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good, clean and complete, with the unusual shaped pages and extended cover margins well preserved.
Illustrations: Profusely illustrated throughout in color by Erik Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev, including numerous full-page and double-page compositions combining Ukrainian folk motifs with expressive animal characters and decorative floral designs.

Estimate: USD 135–150.

The book: The Mitten is a traditional Ukrainian cumulative fairy tale in which a lost mitten gradually becomes shelter for an increasingly improbable gathering of woodland animals. This 1975 Moscow edition is especially memorable for its playful mitten-shaped format, which extends beyond the rectangular text block and becomes an integral part of the book’s visual design. The English translation is by Tom Botting. Bibliographic records confirm this English-language Malysh edition was published in Moscow in 1975 and distributed in the United States by Imported Publications of Chicago.

The illustrators: Erik Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev became important figures in postwar Soviet art, while also collaborating extensively on children’s book illustration. Here their sophisticated sense of composition is combined with traditional decorative motifs, restrained colors, and wonderfully animated animal figures. The result is a particularly appealing example of Soviet children’s book design, and one made even more collectible by its distinctive die-cut format.