Carlo Collodi - Le avventure di Pinocchio - 1974

Carlo Collodi – The Adventures of Pinocchio (in Italian)
Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1974 – Illustrated by Fyodor Lemkul

Rare Soviet edition of Collodi’s Pinocchio, printed in Italian and beautifully illustrated by Fyodor Lemkul (1914–1995), one of the great Russian book artists of the 20th century.

Published by Progress Publishers in 1974 as part of their series for foreign-language learners, this edition includes Italian text with Russian grammatical and idiomatic notes by G. Zorko.

Richly illustrated throughout in colour — 58 illustrations in total, including full- and half-page plates and vivid drawings integrated into the text. Lemkul illustrated over 130 books and received numerous national and international awards for book design.

Condition: Good. Original illustrated boards bright and clean; page edges lightly foxed, otherwise a solid and attractive copy.

Notes:
– First and only Italian-language edition published in the USSR.
– A fascinating blend of Italian literature and Soviet graphic art.
– Increasingly scarce and sought after by collectors.