The Most Expensive Books of the USSR: Prices for Rare Editions

Valuable Finds from Paper Recycling Centers

Many collectors say that the rarest and most expensive books of the Soviet era are sometimes found in the most unexpected places. Some valuable copies are brought from paper recycling centers or even found in landfills. This happens because many people are unaware of the real value of the old books gathering dust in their homes.

Therefore, it is important to know which editions might be of interest to collectors. Some Soviet books can be sold for a high price to antique dealers and booksellers today, and their value can reach tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What Makes a Soviet Book Valuable?

The value of a rare Soviet book is shaped by several key factors. Editions that have become bibliographical rarities for various reasons are particularly valuable.

Editions by repressed authors. In Soviet times, possessing such books could lead to a prison sentence for treason, so very few have survived.
Rare children's books. Some children's editions from the early 20th century are very expensive today due to small print runs and unique illustrations.
Books with autographs and dedications. The highest prices can be fetched for copies signed by the author, especially if the inscription is addressed to another famous person.

Rare Editions Valued Up to $20,000

Title	Author(s)	Year	Sale Price	Note
Political Silhouettes	Leon Trotsky	1926	$1000	Historical value; possession could lead to a prison sentence.
The House That Jack Built	Samuil Marshak	1925	$1570	Rare children's book, a translation of English poems.
One Head is Poor...	Nikolai Aseev, Vladimir Mayakovsky	1924	$2100	Sold at auction in 2021.
What is Good and What is Bad	Vladimir Mayakovsky	1925	$3340	First lifetime edition of the author's most popular work.
Poems of a Hooligan	Sergei Yesenin	1923	$5500	Banned from import and distribution in the USSR immediately after release.
Bunny	Vera Yermolaeva	1923	$13850	A children's fairy tale with colored linocuts by the artist.
Diaboliad	Mikhail Bulgakov	1925	$14700	A copy with a dedication and the author's autograph.
Poems to Blok	Marina Tsvetaeva	1922	$14900	A copy with the author's autograph and corrections.
Iliazd	Ilya Zdanevich	1923	$16000	Print run of 530 copies, no more than 150 survived.
Collection of Poems	Tikhon Churilin	1940	$16800	Almost the entire print run perished before leaving the printing house.
Viktor Vavich	Boris Zhitkov	1941	$17000	Almost the entire 10,000-copy print run was destroyed; only two copies are known to exist.
Portraits	Yuri Annenkov	1922	$17250	A copy with the author's autograph.
Clay Doves	Mikhail Kuzmin	1923	$18200	An autographed copy from the collection of a famous bibliophile.
The Story of Vlas the Lazybones and Loafer	Vladimir Mayakovsky	1927	$18300	Mayakovsky's rarest eight-page children's book.
Lyrics	Vladimir Mayakovsky	1923	$19650	A rare edition with the author's dedication on the title page.

Some Soviet books can be worth several modern salaries. Their value is determined by historical events, small print runs, or unique features like author signatures. Below is a list of such editions sold at auctions for impressive sums.

These examples show how historical context and the uniqueness of a copy influence its final price on the antiquarian market.

Extremely Rare Books: $20,000 to $50,000

Title	Author(s)	Year	Sale Price	Note
Theater	Daniil Kharms	1928	$20000	Extremely rare children's book with illustrations by the author.
Seraphic Pendants	Ivan Gruzinov	1922	$20700	An eight-page book; the print run was confiscated, and the author was arrested.
ABC Book	Vladimir Lebedev	1925	$20950	One of the first illustrated alphabet books of the post-revolutionary period.
Summer and Winter	Alexander Vvedensky	1935	$21950	A rare 24-page book with the author's autograph to the editor of 'Chizh' magazine.
Primus and Balloons	Osip Mandelstam	1925	$22000	A children's book with drawings by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky. Estimated value.
Stories	Isaac Babel	1934	$23000	A copy with the author's autograph, has museum-level collection value.
Collection of Poems	Anna Akhmatova	1961	$24300	A copy with an autograph addressed to Joseph Brodsky.
The Three Fat Men	Yuri Olesha	1928	$24350	First edition with 25 drawings and an extensive author's autograph.
For the Voice	Vladimir Mayakovsky	1923	$25000	A collection designed by El Lissitzky, a copy from the artist's family.
Ivan Ivanych Samovar	Daniil Kharms	1929	$25500	Illustrator Vera Yermolaeva was executed in 1937.
Stikhetty (Little Poems)	Nina Khabias (Komarova)	1922	$25700	Almost the entire print run was destroyed; the author was arrested and imprisoned.
Treryadnitsa	Sergei Yesenin	1921	$26100	A copy with the author's autograph on the title page.
Confession of a Hooligan	Sergei Yesenin	1921	$26500	A copy with the author's dedication.
To the Americans for a Keepsake	Vladimir Mayakovsky	1925	$27900	Published in New York, a copy with an autograph.
About 2 Squares	El Lissitzky	1922	$30400	The only Suprematist book for children, 12 sheets.
The Mischievous Cork	Daniil Kharms	1928	$32300	The only officially banned children's book by Kharms.
Demons	Fyodor Dostoevsky	1935	$49600	The print run was confiscated directly from the printing house; a few copies survived.

The value of some Soviet editions can be compared to the price of an expensive car. These are typically books with a tragic fate, whose print runs were almost completely destroyed, or unique copies associated with great names.

These books are the jewels of any book collection and very rarely appear at auctions.

Extremely Rare Books: $20,000 to $50,000

Top 3 Most Expensive Books of the Soviet Era

The top of the list of the most expensive Soviet books is occupied by editions whose value is comparable to the price of a good apartment. These rarities are true treasures sought after by collectors worldwide. Their high price is due to a combination of all factors: destroyed print runs, autographs, and connections to the greatest literary figures.

'Selected Works', Boris Pasternak (1948). Almost the entire print run of this extremely rare book was destroyed. In 2018, a rare copy was sold at the 'Litfond' auction for $87,200.

'The Tsar-Maiden', Marina Tsvetaeva (1922). This banned and withdrawn edition, with Tsvetaeva's corrections and an autograph addressed to Boris Pasternak, is unique. In 2017, the book was sold at the 'Litfond' auction for almost $99,000.

'Zamaul 4', Aleksei Kruchenykh (1920). The most expensive book of the Soviet period was published in Baku. The print run of this rarity is no more than 10 copies. In 2005, this rare book was sold at a Sotheby's auction for $105,000.

Top 3 Most Expensive Books of the Soviet Era