Notes For a Journal

By
Maxim Litvinov

William Morrow & Company, Inc.
New York
1955

Introduction by E.H. Carr and a Prefatory Note by General Walter Bedell Smith, Former Ambassador to Russia.
347 p.; 21.5 cm. (8.5 inches). Black cloth, with gilt-stamped embellished spine title. Black, red and white dust jacket. Includes Appendices: I. Biographical Notes, II. A List of Works by Maxim Litvinov; III. Congresses of the Russian Communist Party, and Index.
First Edition

"This remarkable book consists of notes for a journal purportedly dictated by Maxim Litvinov, one of the few leaders of modern Russia to be thoroughly at home in the West and one of the few top men in the Soviet regime ever to write his personal memoirs.
The journal has had a lively and mysterious past. The most popular theory is that Litvinov dictated the published entries from earlier notes made in cypher and gave them to Mme. Alexandra Kollontai, the Soviet minister to Stockholm. Litvinov died in 1952; she died in March of the same year, and the manuscript passed into the hands of a group of Russians in Paris.
It was in Paris that Professor Carr, the internationally-known authority on Russia, examined the Journal for authenticity. In his judgment, it has an undeniable basis in fact, though it was probably added to and put into literary form by a professional writer.
Litvinov's entries run from 1926 to 1939, when he suffered an eclipse in power. From then until shortly before his death, there are random jottings that, in themselves, give a fascinating insight into the private lives and political maneuvers of Russia's leaders" [from the dust jacket].

Book is in Fine/As New Condition: pages bright, clean, tight, and unmarked.
Dust Jacket is in Good Condition: worn at both ends of the spine; lightly worn at the corners and along the top edge of the front section, which is rubbed.

Copyright 2021
All text in this listing description is the sole property of
Classic Books and Ephemera and
may not be copied without permission from Classic Books and Ephemera.

SHIPPING and HANDLING: The purchaser receives free media mail in the U.S. We ship all books in boxes, well protected, within 24 hours of the order (Monday - Saturday), always with tracking. We ship pamphlets, documents, broadsides, and booklets in rigid mailers, bagged and boarded, with added stiffener for protection, always with tracking and, where they are of light weight, the order is sent free within the U.S. by First Class mail We have been selling books and ephemera for about 17 years to satisfied customers on various venues, so buy with confidence. For international shipping costs see Ebay's Shipping and Handling section below (click on the country and then click Update for cost to a specific country).

For expedited domestic or international shipping prices, please contact us.

BUYERS OF MULTIPLE ITEMS RECEIVE FREE SHIPPING IN THE U.S., FIRST CLASS OR MEDIA MAIL, DEPENDING ON WEIGHT.

Payment Methods: Paypal is preferred.

Ebay is also collecting state taxes where appropriate and will be paying those state taxes rather than the sellers.

Guarantee: We guarantee that the book is as described or we will return the buyer's money, if we are notified by email within 24 hours of receipt of the book.

ALSO SEE ON EBAY OUR FINE SELECTION OF BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND EPHEMERA IN OUR STORE, CLASSIC BOOKS AND EPHEMERA; CLICK ON THIS LINK: My Stores Logo

We use the condition terms established by AB Bookman's Weekly and now slightly refined by IOBA: As New/Fine, Near Fine(minor defects), Very Good (small signs of wear), Good (average used book), Fair (complete text, but may lack endpapers, half-title), Poor (complete text but soiled, loose hinges, etc.)
For an explanation of terms commonly used in book descriptions, contact us.