Rare 1948 Soviet Book: Story of a Real Man – Boris Polevoy | Tsar to Soviet Books

Rare 1948 Voenizdat WW2 Hardcover: "Story of a Real Man" by Boris Polevoy

For collectors of World War II military history, Soviet literature, and Stalin-era imprints, this 1948 original Soviet hardcover edition is a classic volume. Published in Moscow by Voenizdat (Военное Издательство Министерства Вооруженных Сил Союза ССР), Story of a Real Man (Повесть о настоящем человеке) was written by war correspondent and novelist Boris Nikolayevich Polevoy.

Bound in blue-grey cloth featuring an inset illustrated vignette of a Soviet fighter pilot looking out from his cockpit, this 375-page novel tells the inspirational true story of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexey Maresyev.

The Heroic Saga of Alexey Maresyev & Nuremberg 1946 Postscript

Polevoy's novel remains one of the most famous literary monuments of the Eastern Front:

• The True Story of Alexey Maresyev: Documents the survival of fighter pilot Alexey Maresyev (named Aleksey Meresyev in the text), who crawled through frozen forests for 18 days after being shot down in 1942, underwent double leg amputation, mastered artificial limbs, and returned to active dogfighting against the Luftwaffe.

• Nuremberg 1946 Postscript: Concludes with Polevoy's reflection written in "Nuremberg, Bavaria, Spring 1946" while reporting on Hermann Göring and the Nazi leadership at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.

• 1949 Tbilisi Provenance: Title page bears a neat period ex-libris inscription dated August 1, 1949 ("Из книг Назико Годердзишвили. 01/VIII-49 г. г. Тбилиси").

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Повесть о настоящем человеке (Story of a Real Man)

• Author: Boris Nikolayevich Polevoy (Б. Полевой)

• Publisher: Military Publishing House (Воениздат, Москва)

• Publication Date: 1948 (Stalin Era, USSR)

• Language: Russian (with 1949 handwritten Tbilisi ex-libris)

• Binding: Original publisher's blue-grey cloth hardcover, inset illustrated plate

• Page Count: 375 pages, illustrated

• Classification: Soviet WWII Literature / Aviation History / Voenizdat Military Imprints