Source: photograph supplied by Johan, 2026-05-28. Physical book in Johan’s possession. Captures: title page only. Verso, preface, table of contents, colophon not yet photographed.
Transcription (verbatim, line-by-line)
LEO TOLSTOJ
HANS LIF OCH HANS VERK
SJÄLFBIOGRAFISKA BREF OCH ANTECKNINGAR
SAMT BIOGRAFISKA UPPGIFTER
SAMLADE AF
PAUL BIRUKOFF
SAMT GRANSKADE AF
LEO TOLSTOJ
— [horizontal rule] —
BEMYNDIGAD ÖFVERSÄTTNING FRÅN RYSKA ORIGINALET
AF
ERIK NORDENSTRÖM
— [horizontal rule] —
ANDRA DELEN
[publisher monogram: PAN&L / TAN&L — ornate cursive intertwined letters]
[small stamped mark — purple/violet ink, partially obscured]
STOCKHOLM
P. A. NORSTEDT & SÖNERS FÖRLAG
Reading
- Title: Leo Tolstoj — Hans lif och hans verk (“Leo Tolstoy — His life and his work”).
- Subtitle: Själfbiografiska bref och anteckningar samt biografiska uppgifter (“Autobiographical letters and notes, together with biographical data”). Pre-1906 Swedish spelling reform orthography (själfbiografiska, bref, anteckningar).
- Compiler: Paul Birukoff (German transliteration of Бирюков; this is the spelling Birukoff himself used in Western European correspondence, including his work with the Diederichs German edition).
- Authorisation: “samt granskade af Leo Tolstoj” — “and reviewed by Leo Tolstoy.” Direct claim of authorial review on the title page. This is the strongest possible advertising of Tolstoy involvement; whether it reflects review of the Russian source or of the Swedish translation itself is a §3 question.
- Translation status: “Bemyndigad öfversättning från ryska originalet” — “Authorised translation from the Russian original.” Translator Erik Nordenström.
- Volume designation: Andra delen — “Second part.” Per the handoff, Johan owns Första delen 1, Första delen 2, and Andra delen (this volume) — three physical books covering Russian Vols 1–2.
- Publisher: P. A. Norstedt & Söners förlag, Stockholm. Norstedt is one of Sweden’s oldest and most established publishing houses (founded 1823; Royal Court printer). The publisher signals editorial weight, not a small or unauthorised venture.
- Publisher monogram: intertwined cursive letters reading approximately “PAN&L” or “TAN&L” — Norstedt’s house mark of the period; exact resolution unread.
- Stamped mark: small purple/violet rubber stamp at the foot of the page, partially legible — likely a previous owner’s mark, an antiquarian’s stock mark, or a library stamp. Not yet identifiable from the photograph.
What this title page does not yet tell us (per-volume, to verify against other surfaces)
- Year of publication (Andra delen — not printed on the title page; usually on the verso of the same leaf or in the colophon).
- Print run / edition number.
- Whether the translation was made from a specific named Russian edition (the title-page phrase “från ryska originalet” is generic).
- What “granskade af Leo Tolstoj” specifically means in context (the preface, if any, may explain).
- Page count, illustration plates, footnote handling.
Cross-reference
- Handoff orientation note on this edition:
../handoff-2026-05-28.md, §3 of “What this session was, and why this handoff exists.” - Closing of this same volume:
swedish-andra-delen-slutord-p453.md.