Leo Tolstoy

“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”

Born into a noble family, Leo Tolstoy is thought of as the greatest writer of all time. After achieving success with his autobiographical trilogy about his youth, Tolstoy went on to pen numerous essays, plays, short stories, and novels. His most famous works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are still celebrated as classics – inspiring numerous television, radio, and film adaptations. His work in realist fiction and his concise style have made him an exemplary figure in world literature, making memorabilia from the great scribe highly coveted among collectors. RR Auction is no stranger to literature artifacts, and Tolstoy items have made frequent appearances in our past auctions with stellar results.

RR Auction has seen its fair share of remarkable Tolstoy letters, including this one where he offers some editorial advice to Pyotr Petrovich Nikolaev. Dated August 2, 1903, in part he writes, “continue not in the sense of making it longer, but in the sense of reworking it for the sake of clarity and thus shortening it. I would advise you to set forth everything in concise theses and, this is the main thing, don’t be in a hurry.” Nikolaev, a writer, philosopher, and devoted follower of Tolstoy, sent the writer a letter enclosed with a manuscript of his own about the ‘distortions of the teachings of Christ.’ This piece later made an appearance in Tolstoy’s Complete Works in 90 Volumes, volume 74. 

Superlative portraits of the Russian writer have been well-received at RR. Published by Gesellschaft magazine in Berlin, this late photo bears his signature, “Leo Tolstoy, 28 September 1904.” This photo was originally taken by Ilya Repin, a photographer and close friend, and over several years Tolstoy served as a subject for Repin’s portraits. This lot hit the auction block back in July 2020 and realized more than $10,000 for its consignor.

With the support of RR Auction’s professional staff, your Tolstoy memorabilia will earn premium prices from our ecstatic buyers. Hit the consign button below to begin the consignment process, or dial us at 800-937-3880. We can’t wait to work with you!