Understanding Tolstoy [ Anne Rice's Personal Copy ]

Andrew D. Kaufman

Ohio State University Press, 2011. First Edition, First Printing. Softcover. Near Fine / No dust jacket issued. Item #5321
ISBN: 9780814252406

A soft cover, First Edition, First Printing (with full number line) collection of scholarly essays on the Russian great, Leo Tolstoy. First Edition, signed boldly by Anne Rice on the front free end paper: “Anne Rice / Sunday / Sept 20 (crossed out) 17, 2017 / La Quinta,” along with the striking note, “I see Tolstoy as redeeming happiness.” From the personal library of Anne Rice, with an unquestionably authentic signature.

What makes these annotated volumes from Rice’s shelves so compelling is the sense of intimacy they offer; her private thoughts are scattered throughout the pages. In addition to the signature and writing on the FFEP, Rice has annotated the copyright page, underlining the publication date. She appears to have combed through references, dates, and citations in many of her Tolstoy volumes, perhaps searching for the most recent or authoritative scholarship.

On page 8, in the chapter titled “The Little Green Stick and the Lost House,” she has underlined a paragraph exploring what Tolstoy believed to be “the secret of the universe.” Rice dated this note “9-17-17” and added observations on how it relates to the “key” of understanding “War and Peace”. She has also made small marks on pages 276–277, the citation pages. Rice seems to have devoured scholarly books on Tolstoy. It is not unusual to find her notes not only in the margins but also in the reference sections, where she underlined, agreed with, or challenged even the tiniest scholarly details. She frequently marked publication dates and recent citations, perhaps as a way of tracking future reading or confirming the evolution of Tolstoy scholarship in modern literary criticism.

This edition presents as quite clean, with no interior markings aside from Anne Rice’s own (in her distinctive, elegant hand). There are faint signs of shelf wear and a touch of stickiness to the front of the text block, though nothing that affects the turning of pages. Overall, it is a less heavily annotated scholarly volume from Rice’s collection, yet still unmistakably unique and one-of-a-kind. A charming association copy for any Tolstoy reader or Anne Rice collector. Lovely!

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