Balzac, Honoré de. Love in the Desert [Short Stories] (Lyubov' v pustyne), 1927. In Russian

Бальзак Онорэ де. Любовь в пустыне [Рассказы]. / Пер. с фр. Е. Тараховской.
Москва : Огонёк, 1927. (Ленинград : тип. изд-ва «Прибой» им. Евгении Соколовой).
48 с. Мягкая издательская обложка, формат 15 × 11 см. (Библиотека «Огонёк»; № 218).
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Balzac, Honoré de. Love in the Desert [Short Stories] (Lyubov' v pustyne). / Translated from French by E. Tarahovskaya.
Moscow : Ogonyok, 1927. (Leningrad : Priboy Publishing House Printing Press named after Evgenia Sokolova).
48 pp. Softcover, 15 × 11 cm. (Ogonyok Library; No. 218).

This 1927 pocket-sized edition is a notable example of the mass-market literary enlightenment movement in the early Soviet Union. Published as part of the famous "Ogonyok Library" series, this volume brings together select short stories by the French master of realism, Honoré de Balzac. The titular story, "A Passion in the Desert" (Une passion dans le désert), is one of Balzac's most enigmatic and evocative works, exploring the strange, psychological bond between a French soldier and a panther in the Egyptian wilderness.
The translation was penned by Elizaveta Tarahovskaya (1891–1968), a prominent poet, playwright, and translator who was a key figure in the Soviet literary circles of the 1920s. Her translation captures the atmospheric tension and the lush, descriptive power of Balzac’s prose, making it accessible to the broad "Ogonyok" readership.
The "Ogonyok Library" played a crucial role in the cultural life of the New Economic Policy (NEP) era, providing high-quality literature in an affordable, portable format. These "book-magazines" were designed to be read on trains, during breaks, or in communal study circles. The 1927 print reflects the aesthetic of the time—minimalist yet functional, often featuring the distinctive typographic style of the Leningrad-based "Priboy" printing house.
For collectors of Balzaciana, bibliophiles of early Soviet ephemera, and historians of translation and publishing, this miniature edition is a charming artifact. It represents the democratization of European classics and the vibrant literary exchange between France and the young Soviet state.