London: Frederick Muller, (1965) dj. Hardcover first edition - The dust jacket proclaims this as "The Great Russian Satirical Novel" originally published in 1928, but then suppressed during the Stalin regime. The authors who met in Moscow in 1925, were born in Odessa, "the humor capital of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Thieves and resourceful conmen are the object of secret admiration and pride in Odessa, and the stuff of legends. One such conman, by the name of Ostap Bender, is the hero of the two writers' main work." (Russia Beyond) Basis for several movies - both in Russia and in the US in Mel Brooks 1970 film. Translated from the Russian by John Richardson. Introduction by Maurice Freidberg. 322 pp.