Levenfish, G. (Ed.). The Modern Opening: A Systematic Analysis of the Theory of Beginnings (Sovremennyy debyut). Vol. 1: Open Games, 1940. In Russian.

Г. Я. Левенфиш (ред.).
Современный дебют. Систематический анализ теории начал. В 3 т. Т. 1. Открытые дебюты.
Москва; Ленинград: Физкультура и спорт, 1940.
192 с. ; 25,5×18,5 см. В издательском ледериновом переплете с тиснением по передней крышке и корешку.
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G. Ya. Levenfish (Ed.).
The Modern Opening: A Systematic Analysis of the Theory of Beginnings (Sovremennyy debyut). Vol. 1: Open Games.
Moscow; Leningrad: Fizkultura i sport, 1940.
192 pp. ; 25.5×18.5 cm. Publisher's leatherette binding with embossing on the front cover and spine.

This 1940 volume is a monumental achievement in Soviet chess literature, intended to serve as a comprehensive three-volume encyclopedia of opening theory. The text provides a deep dive into the internal logic of "Open Games" (starting with 1.e4 e5), including the arrangement of analytical breakdowns of games played between 1929 and 1939, as well as classical theory dating back to 1916. Compiled under the editorship of the legendary Grandmaster Grigory Levenfish—a two-time USSR champion—the work synthesizes the best Soviet and international research of the era, referencing luminaries such as Max Euwe, Savielly Tartakower, and Paul Rudolf von Bilguer. Each opening is preceded by a historical overview and an introductory article that evaluates the strategic systems discussed.  As a vital primary source, this volume documents the sophisticated level of Soviet chess scholarship just before the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, which prevented the publication of the subsequent two volumes. Because only this first volume was ever released, it stands as a tragic "fragment" of a grander pedagogical project. This edition is a significant bibliographical rarity for collectors of chess history, specifically valued for its excellent state of preservation and its association with the foundational "Levenfish era" of Soviet chess dominance.