TOLSTOY, Leo. Philipok. Retold by Ann Keay Beneduce. Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. NY: Philomel [2000]. 8vo, [32]pp. Color pictorial boards. Maroon endpapers; full-color illustrations on every page. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Signed by the artist, Gennady Spirin.

First Spirin-illustrated edition. Despite being told by his mother that he is too young to go to school like his older brother Peter, Philipok sets out on his own, braving wintry winds and a fierce dog to surprise Peter, the other children, and their teacher. Gennady Spirin’s breathtaking watercolor illustrations bring new life to this wonderful tale by one of the masters of nineteenth century literature, Leo Tolstoy.