Crime and Punishment

This is an exquisite hardbound edition of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterpiece--Crime and Punishment. It first appeared in instalments in Russian Messenger in 1866. By this time, Dostoevsky had been orphaned, imprisoned, almost died, lost his wife and his brother. He was also neck-deep in debt. From such a man came the story of the psychological impact of committing a crime. In this book,
Raskolnikov murders an old, evil pawnbroker. Good riddance, according to him, since the woman was an oppressor of the weak, and this act allowed him to solve his own financial problems. Yet, it is a crime, and the guilt begins gnaw at him inside, even though he considers himself to be an ’extraordinary person’ whose actions are above the law.
This edition, with gilded edges and beautiful endpapers, is perfect for gifting and will prove to be a valuable addition to any library.

Dostoyevsky was the son of a doctor. His parents were very hard-working and deeply religious people, but so poor that they lived with their five children in only two rooms. The father and mother spent their evenings in reading aloud to their children, generally from books of a serious character. In 1861, he started a journal-- Vremya, which was forbidden by the Censorship through a misunderstanding. In 1864 he lost his first wife and his brother Mihail. He was in terrible poverty, yet he took upon himself the payment of his brother’s debts. He started another journal-- The Epoch, which within a few months was also prohibited. He was weighed down by debt, his brother’s family was dependent on him, he was forced to write at heart-breaking speed, and is said never to have corrected his work.
In June 1880 he made his famous speech at the unveiling of the monument to Pushkin in Moscow and he was received with extraordinary demonstrations of love and honour. A few months later Dostoevsky died.