Beschreibung:

INNOCENT OF ALASKA – BARSUKOV, Ivan Platonovich. O Zhizni i podvigakh Innokentiia Arkhiepiskopa Kamchatskago, Kyril’skago i Aluetskago, v posledstvii Mitropolita Moskovskago. Izdanie tretie . [On the Life and Deeds of Innocent, Archbishop of Kamchatka, and of the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, Later Metropolitan of Moscow. The Third Edition.] St. Petersburg: A. Katanskii and Co., 1893. Saint Innocent (born Ivan Popov, later Veniaminov, 1797-1879) was a Russian Orthodox missionary priest who became the first Orthodox bishop in the Americas. Success here, despite many challenges, eventually secure for him the exalted rank of Metropolitan of Moscow. Innocent is also remembered for devising an alphabet based on Cyrillic for Unangan, the most widely used Aleut dialect. The title page designates this a third edition, but it appears to be the first of this text under this imprint. Baruskov published a much longer life (c.800 pages) in 1883, and another dated 1885 (57 pages) which, perhaps, constitute the first and second editions. WorldCat locates only one copy of any edition dated 1893 outside of Russia, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Cf. Arctic Bib. 1098 (a later English translation); Wickersham 5737. Octavo (178 x 120mm). 36pp, and engraved frontispiece portrait. Original salmon-pink printed wrappers (front wrapper lightly faded, light wear, light soiling); custom black leather backed chemise with cloth ties. Provenance : partly deleted contemporary inscription on the front wrapper – Wayfarer’s Bookshop – Maggs Bros. Ltd.