The Russian Story Book (Illustrated)

"The Russian Story Book" is a collection of Russian tales, adapted by Richard Wilson.

The stories of the song-cycles of Kiev and Novgorod tell of a barbaric, though not barbarian, world, full of color and spirited action, of the knock-out blow followed quickly by the hand of friendship freely extended to pick up the fallen foe - if indeed he has had the strength to survive.

The land of Vladimir and Ilya of Murom the Old Cossack is a Christian land, with the Christianity of the Greek Orthodox Church, and it is before all else an Easter land, where the Christian Festival of the Resurrection means infinitely more than it can ever do in countries which are not ice-bound for several winter months. The country is, moreover, an outpost of Christianity towards the East - uninfluenced by Renaissance or Reformation - and must therefore have developed interesting characteristics entirely different from those of Western lands.

This edition contains the original full-color illustrations by Frank C. Papé.