Toda-Raba.

familial association copy of the author's first novel

'I am a mariner of Odysseus with heart of fire but with mind ruthless and clear.'

The true first edition of Kazantzakis' first novel, inscribed by the author in Greek on the title page: 'To my dear nephew / Manolis M. Saklambanis / to remember the good times we / spent in Aegina. / Aegina, 24-25 June 1936 / N. Kazantzakis'. Familial association copies of Kazantzakis' works are of the utmost scarcity.

Toda-Raba was written in French at Gottesgab in 1929 under the initial title Moscou a crié [Moscow Shouted], and an abridged version was then serialised in the French magazine Revue des Vivants (Paris 1931). It would not be published in Greek until 1956 when it was translated by Yannis Maglis for Difros Publications.

First edition, sole printing, inscribed by the author; 8vo; slight toning to textblock (as always), occasional marginal scoring in pencil; original red and black illustrated wrappers, minor wear to spine and creasing to upper cover, small section of loss to top fore-corner (not affecting titles); a very good copy.