Sredi tain i chudes (Among Mysteries and Wonders)

New York: Izdanie Ispolnitelnogo Komiteta Professionalnykh Soiuzov, 1923. Second Edition. Very good. Second, improved edition; 8 1/2 x 6; pp. [4], 2-236, [1]; dark-blue cloth over boards; embossed title in gilt; minor rubbing to spine and corners; a few faint spots to margins of cloth and first few leaves; several marginal, penciled-in notes; illustrated with 92 in-line drawings and photographic images; very good condition.Nikolai Rubakin (1862 - 1946) was a Russian author and bibliographer. He published numerous works and articles in several journals, including the Marxist "Novo Slovo." He also used the pseudonym Sergei Nekrasov to write revolutionary, underground pamphlets. After being arrested for "illegal activities" and consequently released, he emigrated to Switzerland, taking with him his massive collection of books, about 100 000 volumes, to which he would allegedly add another 100 000, where he established a library in Montreux. Among other things, he studied the psychology of the main types of book readers and even proposed a Theory of Bibliopsychology. His current work dealt with superstitions from around the world, from ancient times onward, their effects on humanity, and the ways of overcoming them. Uncommon, with OCLC listing 1 copy of the first edition in New Zealand, 2 copies of this second edition in Israel and Switzerland, and none other in the trade (as of January 2019).