Stanislavsky, K. S. Artistic Notes: 1877–1892 (Khudozhestvennye zapisi), 1939. In Russian.

Станиславский К. С. Художественные записи. 1877–1892 гг. / Редакция и предисловие Л. Гуревич.
Москва — Ленинград : Искусство, 1939.
170 с., 18 л. ил. Твердый издательский переплет, обычный формат.
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Stanislavsky, Konstantin. Artistic Notes. 1877–1892. / Edited and with a preface by L. Gurevich.
Moscow — Leningrad : Iskusstvo, 1939.
170 pp., 18 plates of illustrations. Hardcover, standard format. In Russian.

This 1939 volume is a critical primary source for understanding the early development of the "Stanislavsky System." Published by Iskusstvo shortly after the legendary director’s death, these "Artistic Notes" cover the formative fifteen-year period (1877–1892) during which Konstantin Stanislavsky transitioned from an amateur enthusiast in the Alekseyev Circle to a leading figure of the Russian stage. Edited by the distinguished theater critic and close collaborator Lyubov Gurevich, this edition provides a rare, unvarnished look at the laboratory of Stanislavsky’s mind.
The book meticulously reproduces diary entries, rehearsal notes, and reflections on his early roles and productions. These records document his dissatisfaction with the clichés of the 19th-century theater and his search for a new, truthful method of psychological acting. In this study, the editorial preparation by Gurevich provides a deep typological analysis that offers a deep dive into the internal logic of Stanislavsky’s creative process, including the arrangement of his early observations on "the life of the human spirit" and the mechanics of stage emotion.
A significant feature of this 1939 edition is the collection of 18 plates of illustrations, which include rare archival photographs of Stanislavsky’s early performances, sketches for costumes, and diagrams for stage movement. These visual materials bridge the gap between his theoretical musings and the physical reality of the Alekseyev Circle and the Society of Art and Literature. To ensure scholarly reach, the volume includes exhaustive notes that clarify the historical context of late Imperial Russian theater.
As a pre-war publication, this edition is highly valued for its high production quality and its preservation of texts that became the foundation for modern acting pedagogy. For theater historians, actors, directors, and collectors of Stanislavskyana, this 1939 volume is an essential artifact documenting the birth of modern dramatic art.