[Epic poems] Byliny ob Il'e Muromtse

Moskva: Gosudarstvennoe Izdatel'stvo Khudozhestvennoi Literatury, 1947. Soft cover. Near Fine. First edition in this format; staple-bound 5" x 8"; pp. 3-46, [1]; original stiff pictorial wraps; small piece chipped off upper corner of front cover, else near fine. Il'ia Muromets, depicted in numerous epic poems some of which were collected in this book, was a Kievan Rus epic hero and one of the greatest bogatyrs. Though most of his adventures appear to have been a work of fiction, scientists believe that he indeed was a historic person sometime in the 12th century. He is also the only epic hero to be canonized as a Saint by the Russian Orthodox Church.