The Cockerel with the Golden Crest (Petushok - zolotoy grebeshok). Russian folk tale adapted by A. N. Tolstoy. Illustrated by E. Rachev. Series: Kindergarten Library, 1957. In Russian.

Петушок - золотой гребешок : русская народная сказка / в обработке А. Н. Толстого ; рисунки Е. Рачева. Москва : Государственное издательство детской литературы Министерства просвещения РСФСР (Детгиз), 1957. [16] страниц : иллюстрации. Серия: Библиотечка детского сада. Мягкая бумажная обложка. Обычный формат. Тираж 500 000 экземпляров. Обложка - хорошее: легкое возрастное пожелтение, незначительная потертость корешка и краев. Блок - очень хорошее: чистый, крепкий, страницы равномерно пожелтевшие без надрывов.

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The Cockerel with the Golden Crest (Petushok - zolotoy grebeshok) : Russian folk tale / adapted by A. N. Tolstoy ; illustrated by E. Rachev. Moscow : State Publishing House of Children's Literature (Detgiz), 1957. [16] pages : illustrations. Series: Kindergarten Library (Bibliotechka detskogo sada). Paper wrappers. Standard format. Print run of 500,000 copies. Wrappers good: light age-toning, minor wear to the spine and edges. Text block very good: clean, firm, pages evenly age-toned without tears.

A classic and wonderfully preserved mid-century Soviet edition of the beloved Russian folk tale "The Cockerel with the Golden Crest", presented here in the definitive literary adaptation by the prominent writer Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Published by Detgiz in 1957 as part of the ubiquitous "Kindergarten Library" series, this booklet was a staple of early childhood education in the USSR. The true collector's appeal of this edition, however, lies in its magnificent color illustrations by Evgeny Rachev (1906-1997), an undisputed master of Soviet animalistic art. Rachev was celebrated for his unique ability to anthropomorphize animals, dressing them in highly detailed traditional Russian peasant costumes to express human character types and social dynamics. His vibrant, expressive depictions of the naive cockerel, the cunning fox in her patterned sarafan, and the rescuing cat and thrush became the canonical visual interpretation of this tale for generations. Although printed with a massive run of 500,000 copies to meet the demands of the vast Soviet readership, these fragile paperback booklets were intended for active use by toddlers and very rarely survive the decades intact. Most copies were read to pieces, torn, or heavily scribbled upon. This copy remains in highly collectible condition with a clean text block, offering a pristine glimpse into the golden age of Soviet children's book illustration and making it a highly desirable acquisition for collectors of mid-century graphic design and Russian folklore.