{"product_id":"the-twelve-chairs-ilf-petrov-1st-edition","title":"The Twelve Chairs, Ilf \u0026 Petrov — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication\u003c\/strong\u003e: London, Frederick Muller Limited, 1965\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormatting\u003c\/strong\u003e: Large Crown 8vo, pp. [xii], 322.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e: Near Fine. The binding remains remarkably tight and square, featuring the original brown cloth boards with sharp, unbumped corners and gleaming, unoxidised gilt lettering to the spine. There is scarcely any shelf-wear to speak of, save for the most imperceptible rubbing at the spine ends. Internally, the text-block is pristine and firmly rooted, with the pages presenting exceptionally bright and clean, free from any foxing or distracting blemishes; the top and fore-edges bear only the lightest trace of historical dusting consistent with its age. The original, unclipped pictorial dust-jacket (retaining the 25\/- net price on the rear panel) is wonderfully preserved, displaying vibrant, unsunned panels. It exhibits only marginal rubbing along the extremities and a touch of surface dusting to the pale background, ultimately presenting as an excellent, highly collectible copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e: This is the scarce first UK edition of Ilf and Petrov's seminal satirical masterpiece, featuring the acclaimed translation by John Richardson and an introduction by Maurice Friedberg. Originally published in the Soviet Union in 1928, this translation brought the picaresque adventures of the charismatic con man Ostap Bender to a broader Anglophone audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eThe book is presented in its original brown cloth binding and retains its striking, unclipped dust-jacket. True first English printings of this title, particularly those complete with the original jacket, have become exceptionally elusive on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003eThe fragility of the jacket's pale background means it is rarely found in such a bright, unrubbed state. Free from any intrusive previous ownership inscriptions, bookplates, or institutional stamps, this copy stands as a premium acquisition for collectors of translated Russian literature and twentieth-century satire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003eSet against the backdrop of the newly formed Soviet Union in the 1920s, \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"79\"\u003eThe Twelve Chairs\u003c\/i\u003e is a breathless, wildly entertaining treasure hunt. When a dying matriarch confesses to hiding her family's priceless diamonds inside one of twelve identical dining chairs, it triggers a frantic, cross-country scramble. At the centre of the chaos is Ostap Bender, a fast-talking, immensely charming grifter, and his reluctant partner, the former nobleman Ippolit Matveyevich. Together, they navigate a labyrinth of bizarre bureaucrats, eccentric opportunists, and the absurdities of early Soviet life. A brilliant and enduring masterpiece of literature, the novel blends biting social satire with pure slapstick comedy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54324194836819,"sku":"4617","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260714_141347.jpg?v=1784195491","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-twelve-chairs-ilf-petrov-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}