Item #140941440 (The Cherry Orchard) Vishnevyi sad in Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya. (Collection of the Association ''Knowledge" for the year 1903. Vol. II.). Anton Chekhov.
(The Cherry Orchard) Vishnevyi sad in Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya. (Collection of the Association ''Knowledge" for the year 1903. Vol. II.)
(The Cherry Orchard) Vishnevyi sad in Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya. (Collection of the Association ''Knowledge" for the year 1903. Vol. II.)
(The Cherry Orchard) Vishnevyi sad in Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya. (Collection of the Association ''Knowledge" for the year 1903. Vol. II.)
(The Cherry Orchard) Vishnevyi sad in Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya. (Collection of the Association ''Knowledge" for the year 1903. Vol. II.)

(The Cherry Orchard) Vishnevyi sad in Sbornik tovarishchestva ''Znanie'' za 1903 god. Kniga vtoraya. (Collection of the Association ''Knowledge" for the year 1903. Vol. II.)

St. Petersburg: Znanie, 1904.

First publication of the classic play The Cherry Orchard anywhere. 324 pp. Original gray wrappers with full margins. In Russian. Near Fine with toning and light soiling, front wrapper expertly reattached, a few small rub spots to back wrap, contents have light thumb-soiling and slight edge-curling. Quite rare in the original wrappers.

The first serial publication of Chekhov's play in pages 29-105 of the second volume of the annual collection of Maxim Gorky's association Znanie (translated as "Knowledge" in English). This is the earliest form of the text. Ernest J. Simmons in his biography Chekhov writes,

Chekhov received an offer from [Maxim] Gorky to publish the play in the annual of his firm Znanie, at a remuneration of fifteen hundred rubles a signature, the highest Chekhov had ever received. Because of his contract with [A. F.] Marx [of St. Petersburg], which restricted publication of new works to newspapers and magazines, or to books that appeared for charitable purposes, it seemed at first that Chekhov would have to reject this alluring proposal. Violation of the contract carried a penalty at the rate of five thousand rubles for every printed signature. However, a way out was found. Both Chekhov and Gorky were interested in an appeal to aid indigent women medical students in Petersburg, and the Znanie Annual, including The Cherry Orchard, was published on behalf of this charitable purpose.

Marx issued the revised script in book form later that year. Chekhov's last great play was produced by Konstantin Stanislavskii at the Moscow Art Theatre on January 17, 1904. Although there were problems with the censors and Chekhov disapproved of the direction, the play was a hit. The official date of publication was June 1, 1904. Sadly, Chekhov died on July. His publisher passed away that same year. Item #140941440

Price: $5,500.00