The Most Expensive Books of the USSR: Prices for Rare Editions - AUCBURG | AUCBURG
The Most Expensive Books of the USSR: Prices for Rare Editions
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.
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.
What Makes a Soviet Book Valuable?
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.
Rare Editions Valued Up to $20,000
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.