Volsky, S. Pizarro (Pisarro), 1935. In Russian.

Вольский С. Пизарро. / Ред. М. Горького, М. Кольцова, А. Тихонова.
Москва : Журнально-газетное объединение, 1935.
272 с. : ил. Мягкая издательская обложка, уменьшенный формат (17 × 12 см). (Жизнь замечательных людей; Вып. 3 (51)).
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Volsky, S. Pizarro (Pisarro). / Edited by M. Gorky, M. Koltsov, A. Tikhonov.
Moscow: Journal and Newspaper Association (Zhurgaz), 1935.
272 pp.: ill. Publisher’s softcover, small format. (Lives of Remarkable People Series; Issue 3 (51)).

This 1935 biography of Francisco Pizarro (ca. 1471–1541) is a significant entry in the early, "Gorky-era" cycle of the Lives of Remarkable People (ZhZL) series. Published by the Journal and Newspaper Association (Zhurgaz), this edition reflects the rigorous editorial standards established by Maxim Gorky, Mikhail Koltsov, and Alexander Tikhonov, who sought to provide the Soviet reader with scientifically grounded yet dramatically told histories of world-shaping figures.
Written by Stanislav Volsky (pseudonym of S. A. Sokolov), the book provides a gripping account of the downfall of the Inca Empire. Volsky traces Pizarro's journey from his humble beginnings as an illiterate pig farmer in Extremadura to the execution of the Sapa Inca Atahualpa and the founding of Lima. The narrative is framed through the lens of early Soviet historical materialism, viewing Pizarro not merely as an adventurer, but as a ruthless instrument of primary capital accumulation and the destructive expansion of the Spanish Crown.
The text delves into the dramatic encounters at Cajamarca, the legendary "Ransom Room" filled with gold and silver, and the internal strife among the conquistadors that eventually led to Pizarro's assassination. Volsky’s prose captures the clash of two civilizations, contrasting the complex social structure of the Incas with the fanatical zeal and technological advantages of the Spanish invaders.
As an early ZhZL publication from the mid-1930s, this volume is characterized by its portable format and distinctive series design. These softcover editions are increasingly difficult to find in good condition, as they were printed on paper typical of the period's mass production. For collectors of the ZhZL series, historians of the Age of Discovery, and those interested in Soviet historiography of the 1930s, this biography is a quintessential document of its time.