Anna Pavlova.

signed by Pavlova

An exceptional copy of the first monograph on Pavlova, additionally signed by her on the half title.

A beautiful book celebrating the life one of the most famous ballerinas of all time. Illustrations from artists including, Léon Bakst, Aimé Stevens, Valentin Serov, Joseph Urban, John Lavery, Konstantin Korovin, Sergey Solomko and Boris Anisfeld. Along with numerous photo portraits of Anna Pavlova and with Nijinsky.

Valerian Svetlov (1860-1932) was a critic and associate of Serge Diaghilev. Nijinsky wrote in his diary, 'Svetlov lived with a dancer and learned many technical expressions from her. He made them into beautiful sentences. There were other critics on dancing but they were not so sharp and witty. Svetlov was always ready with an answer'.

First edition in English, limited edition, one of 325 copies this numbered 2, large 4to (33 x 25.5 cm); signed by Pavlova in ink on the half-title; decorative woodcut head and tail pieces by D. Galanis, 22 plates with tissue guards, numerous in-text illustrations and photographic reproductions, some minor scattered foxing, more so to plate margins; bound in full red morocco by San Francisco bookbinder Paul Mucci in 1970 with binder's signed letter tipped in at the rear describing the work they performed, lettered in blind on the upper board; housed in a custom vellum covered box also by Mucci with Pavlova in blind on the spine and ownership label to bottom of the spine, a few marks to vellum otherwise a very good copy.