. Many of these books are available through
its search engine.Some of these books are in-print and available. The online
bookstore we recommend is Amazon.com. We have provided links to the
listing at Amazon.com of all books for sale there. Many of these books are
out of print and difficult to find. For these books we recommend the
online used book store
Alibris. Many of these books are available through
its search engine.
Maxym, Lucy. Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales.
1981.
This book is the most widely available lacquer box
book. It includes a brief discussion of how lacquer boxes are made and
gives a brief background on each of the four schools of art. Maxym then
tells nineteen Russian legends and fairy tales which are the inspiration for a
majority of lacquer box paintings. The book is filled with beautiful
illustrations of lacquer boxes.
Maxym, Lucy. Russian
Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales, Volume II. 1992.
Maxym's second volume tells more of the stories which are
often the inspiration for lacquer box paintings. This book is also filled
with beautiful illustrations.
Guliayev, Vladimir. Russian
Lacquered Miniatures. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1993.
This great soft-cover book begins with an introduction to
lacquer boxes. It then has brief histories of each of the four lacquer box
schools, followed by beautiful photos of many boxes from each of the schools.
Malakhov,
Nikolai. Fedoskino. Moscow: Izobrazitelnoye Iskusstvo
Publishers, 1990.
This beautiful book is an English edition of a compilation of
illustrations of Fedoskino boxes. It includes a 17 page history of
Fedoskino and 176 wonderful illustrations.
Kotov, Vitaly. Palekh.
Moscow: Izobrazitelnoye Iskusstvo Publishers, 1990.
This beautiful book is an English edition of a compilation of
illustrations of Palekh boxes. It begins with a 20 page history of Palekh
and then has 160 illustrations.
Armstrong, David. Russian
Lacquer Boxes. Moscow: Forkis Publishers, 1992.
This book by a British historian begins with a 43-page
history of lacquer boxes which is interspersed with box illustrations.
Armstrong then includes a very useful 13 page index of subjects which is a
listing of fairy tales and legends commonly depicted on lacquer boxes, each
accompanied by a one paragraph description. The book concludes with 22
pages of photos of boxes.
Nekrasova, M. A. Palekh
Miniature Painting. Leningrad: 1978.
This 360-page book is a comprehensive history of
Palekh. It is in Russian. It includes many pictures, but the quality
of the printing is not as good as one would hope. An English description
of all plates is included.
Pirogova, Ludmilla. 200 Years of
Russian Lacquery Fedoskino. 1996.
This book starts with a 13 page history of Fedoskino
miniatures (in both Russian and English). It includes 115 pages of great
illustrations of Fedoskino boxes.
Ukanova, I. Lacquer
Painting In Russia. Saint Petersburg: Iskusstvo Publishers, 1995.
This book, mainly in Russian, tracks the development of
lacquer work from Asia and the Middle East to modern Russia. There are
many illustrations, all of which have English captions. There is also a 3
page summary in English.
Ovsyannikov, Y. Russian Folk
Arts and Crafts. Moscow: Progress Publishers.
This is an English translation of a history of a few Russian
crafts (wood carving, bone and horn work, ceramics, and lacquer boxes).
Excerpts from the 25-page section on lacquer boxes are included on this
website.
Afanasev, Aleksander. Russian Fairy Tales.
New York: Pantheon Books, 1973.
This 600-page compilation includes a great number of Russian
fairy tales.
Avery, Gillian. Russian Fairy Tales.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.
This beautifully published, color illustrated, hardcover book
includes 11 stories: the Tale of Tsar Saltan and his Son the Tsarevich Guidon;
Vasilissa the Beautiful and the Witch Baba Yago; Little Bear Cub; Marya Morevna;
Frost; The Frog Princess; Salt; Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Grey Wolf;
Sister Alenushka and her Brother Ivanushka; the White Duck; and the Feather of
Finist the Falcon.
Downing, Charles. Russian Tales and Legends.
New York: Oxford UP, 1989.
This 200-page book includes many stories including: Ilya
Murometz, Sadko, and the Firebird.
Haviland, Virginia. Favorite
Fairy Tales Told in Russia. New York: Little Brown and Co., 1969.
This 100-page book includes five stories: To Your Good
Health; Vasilissa the Beautiful; Snegourka, the Snow Maiden; the Straw Ox; and
the Flying Ship.
Maxym, Lucy. Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales.
1981.
This book is the most widely available lacquer box
book. It includes a brief discussion of how lacquer boxes are made and
gives a brief background on each of the four schools of art. Maxym then
tells nineteen Russian legends and fairy tales which are the inspiration for a
majority of lacquer box paintings. The book is filled with beautiful
illustrations of lacquer boxes.
Maxym, Lucy. Russian
Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales, Volume II. 1992.
Maxym's second volume tells more of the stories which are
often the inspiration for lacquer box paintings. This book is also filled
with beautiful illustrations.
Ransome, Arthur. Favorite Russian Fairy
Tales. New York: Dover Publications, 1995.
This very reasonably priced book includes six fairy tales:
Sadko; Frost; Baba Yaga; the Little Daughter of the Snow; Alenoushksa and Her
Brother; and the Firebird, the Horse of Power, and the Princess Vasilissa.