(26) [The Story of Yvashka: 1913]
The Story / of / Yvashka with the Bear’s Ear / Translated from the Russian / By / George Borrow / London: / Printed for Private Circulation / 1913.
Collation:—Square demy octavo, pp. 23; consisting of: Half title (with blank reverse) pp. 1–2; Frontispiece (with blank recto) pp. 3–4; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. 5–6; Introduction (by Borrow) pp. 7–10; and Text of the Story pp. 11–23. The head-line is Yvashka with the Bears Ear throughout, upon both sides of the page. Upon the reverse of p. 23 is the following imprint: “London: / Printed for Thomas J. Wise, Hampstead, N. W. / Edition limited to Thirty Copies.” The signatures are A (a half sheet of 4 leaves), and B (a full sheet of 8 leaves), the one inset within the other.
The Frontispiece consists of a reduced facsimile of the first page of the original Manuscript in Borrow’s handwriting.
Issued in bright green paper wrappers, with untrimmed edges, and with the title-page reproduced upon the front. The leaves measure 8½ × 6⅞ inches.
Thirty Copies only were printed.
The Story of Yvashka was the second of three Russian Popular Tales, which were contributed by Borrow to the pages of Once a Week during 1862. The Story of Yvashka appeared in the number for May 17th, 1862, Vol. vi, pp. 572–574.
The Story was reprinted in The Sphere, Feb. 1st, 1913, p. 136.
The Text of Yvashka as printed in Once a Week differs appreciably from that printed in The Sphere, and in the private pamphlet of 1913, both of which are identical. The Manuscript from which the two latter versions were taken was the original translation. The version which appeared in Once a Week was printed from a fresh Manuscript (which fills 11 quarto pages) prepared in 1862. A reduced facsimile of the first page of the earlier Manuscript (which extends to 5⅛ quarto pages) will be found reproduced upon the opposite page. In this Manuscript the story is entitled The History of Jack with the Bear’s Ear.
Judging from the appearance of this MS., both paper and handwriting, together with that of fragments which remain of the original MSS. of the other two published Tales, it seems probable that the whole were produced by Borrow during his residence in St. Petersburg. Should such surmise be correct, the Tales are contemporary with Targum.