The Firebird and other Russian Fairy Tales – Boris Zvorykin 1982

The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales (1982), featuring the resplendent artwork of Boris Zvorykin, represents a glorious resurrection of pre-Revolutionary Russian book art in the late 20th century. This Viking Press edition—meticulously curated by Margaretta Mitchell—showcases Zvorykin’s long-neglected illustrations originally created during his Parisian exile in the 1920s, now paired with luminous English translations of classic Slavic tales. The volume’s oversized pages burst with Zvorykin’s signature style: intricate gold-leaf borders framing scenes where Byzantine iconography collides with Art Nouveau sensibilities, as seen in his radiant Firebird spreading peacock-hued plumage across a midnight sky or his grotesque yet mesmerizing Baba Yaga crouched in her chicken-legged hut.

The 1982 publication exists in two distinct versions—the trade edition with its vibrant jacket depicting Ivan Tsarevich mid-chase, and the ultra-rare slipcased limited run (only 1,500 copies) printed on heavy archival paper with gilt-stamped cloth boards. Both faithfully reproduce Zvorykin’s watercolors from surviving originals, preserving every lacquered detail of his fantastical bestiary and onion-domed palaces. This edition not only salvaged Zvorykin’s legacy from obscurity but also reintroduced Western audiences to the full visual splendor of Russian folklore beyond the familiar Bilibin illustrations.