JACQUES FERRAND – BOOKS RUSSIAN NOBILITY: PORTRAITS, ROMANOV & YUSUPOV

We are offering for sale a unique and complete set of rare works devoted to the Russian nobility, published by the historian and genealogist Jacques Ferrand (1943–2007). A recognized specialist in the Russian aristocracy and imperial emigration, Ferrand left behind an essential body of work for the study of the great families of Russia, which he documented through rigorous genealogies and first-hand photographic albums.

This set, coming directly from the author’s close circle, is distinguished by its special bindings reserved for a few friends and by the presence of three handwritten dedications by Jacques Ferrand. Unlike the paperback copies occasionally found on the market, these bound volumes are unique pieces of bibliophilia.

This collection brings together the principal works of Jacques Ferrand dedicated to the Russian nobility in emigration, to great princely families such as the Romanov, Yusupov, Obolensky and the Counts Soumarokov-Elston, in editions that have become unobtainable.

Series Russian Nobility: Portraits (1985–2001)

• Volume I – Russian Nobility: Portraits (1985). Preface by Prince Dimitri M. Schakhovskoy. Copy dedicated by Jacques Ferrand.
• Volume II – Russian Nobility: Portraits (1986). Preface by Prince Dimitri M. Schakhovskoy.
• Volume III – Russian Nobility: Portraits (1987). Preface by Prince Dimitri M. Schakhovskoy. Copy dedicated by Jacques Ferrand.
• Volume IV – Russian Nobility: Portraits (1988). Preface by Serge S. Nabokoff.
• Volume V – Russian Nobility: Portraits (1993). Preface by Prince Dimitri M. Schakhovskoy.
• Russian Nobility: Portraits in Exile (2001). Preface by Prince Michel N. Obolensky, foreword by Prince Dimitri M. Schakhovskoy.

Imperial Family Romanov

• Romanov – A Family Album (1989). Preface by Prince Nicolas Romanov, introduction by Prince Michel Romanov, foreword by Pierre de Villemarest. Copy dedicated by Jacques Ferrand.
• Romanov – A Family Album, Supplement (1990). Preface by Prince Nicolas Romanov, foreword by Pierre de Villemarest, introduction by Prince Michel Romanov.

The Princes Yusupov & Counts Soumarokov-Elston

• The Princes Yusupov & the Counts Soumarokov-Elston: Chronicle and Photographs (1991). Foreword by Prince Michel F. Romanov.

A rare and precious corpus

These volumes bring together a rich iconography (historical portraits, unpublished photographs, family albums) and a comprehensive genealogical documentation of the great families of Imperial Russia: Romanov, Obolensky, Yusupov, Schakhovskoy, Nabokoff, Kougoucheff, Mussin-Pouchkine and many other princely and comital lineages.

The rarity of these works is explained by their very limited print runs, their circulation restricted to a small circle of initiates, and their scientific importance. For researchers, collectors of rare books, descendants of Russian émigrés or enthusiasts of the history of Imperial Russia, this set represents an exceptional opportunity.

Condition

Very good overall condition. Solid bindings, clean interiors. The three dedicated volumes bear handwritten inscriptions by Jacques Ferrand, giving this set a unique patrimonial and personal value.

Dimensions

Most of the volumes are in a large 35 × 30 cm format (luxurious folio-style presentation). Only the work The Princes Yusupov & the Counts Soumarokov-Elston (1991) is slightly smaller, in 30 × 25 cm format.

Conclusion

Such a corpus, complete and enriched with bound and dedicated copies, is today unobtainable on the international market. It constitutes a true treasure for any library devoted to the Russian nobility, European genealogy or the history of Russian emigration.