Whitman, W. Leaves of Grass (List'ya travy), 1935. Design by M. Kirnarsky. In Russian.

Уитман Уолт. Листья травы. / Перевод, статья и примечания К. И. Чуковского. Предисловие Д. Мирского. Оформление М. Кирнарского.
Ленинград : Художественная литература, 1935.
232 с. Твердый издательский переплет, обычный формат. Тираж 10 300 экз.
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Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass (List'ya travy). / Translation, article, and notes by K. I. Chukovsky. Preface by D. Mirsky. Binding, title, and headpieces by M. Kirnarsky.
Leningrad: Khudozhestvennaya literatura, 1935.
232 pp. Hardcover, standard format. Print run: 10,300 copies. In Russian.

This 1935 Leningrad edition is widely regarded as a pinnacle of Russian Whitman studies and a masterpiece of Soviet book design from the mid-1930s. Walt Whitman (1819–1892), the revolutionary innovator of free verse, found his most dedicated Russian voice in Korney Chukovsky. Chukovsky spent decades refining these translations, striving to capture the "cosmic" scale and democratic vigor of the American poet's original voice.
The volume is introduced by a preface from the brilliant literary critic D. P. Mirsky (Prince Dmitry Svyatopolk-Mirsky), whose insights into Western literature were highly influential before his tragic fate in the purges. Mirsky’s analysis provides a sharp ideological and aesthetic context for Whitman's reception in the Soviet Union, where he was celebrated as a "poet of the masses" and a herald of the New World.
The aesthetic appeal of this edition is defined by the work of Mark Kirnarsky, a master of book graphics and a student of Chekhonin. Kirnarsky designed the binding, title pages, and elegant headpieces, imbuing the book with a refined yet bold constructivist-influenced classicism typical of the period. His design transforms the physical object into a work of art, mirroring the organic strength of the poetry within.
Chukovsky’s extensive notes and critical article remain foundational for anyone studying the history of Whitman’s influence on Russian modernism and Soviet literature. Despite the print run of 10,300 copies, this 1935 edition remains a bibliographical treasure, prized by collectors for its rare combination of superior translation, rigorous scholarship, and exceptional graphic design.