Description

8°: [2] red and black woodcuts, 142 pp. with illustrated frontispiece and title page in black and red and with black and white illustrations within text, [1] index, [2] red and black woodcuts, original paper wrappers with cover woodcut illustrations in black and red (Very Good, minor staining around the spine, old owner’s name on the first blank page).

The Croatian translation of 17 folktales by Tolstoy was made by Josip Pasarić (1860-1937), a Croatian publicist, politician and mountaineer. 
The book is a brilliant example of an elegant book design by Ljubo Babić using flat black and red colours, printed from woodblocks, and simple Slavic forms.

Ljubo Babić (1890-1974) was one of the most active and influential artists of the 20th century and a professor of many successful Yugoslav artists. He was active as a painter, designer, book designer, stage designer, draftsman and art historian as the first director of the Zagreb Modern Gallery.  

Before WWII Babić exhibited on numberless exhibitions in Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, in Paris (1914, 1919, 1925), Barcelona London, Leipzig, Berlin (1936), New York (1939), Lyon, Milan and at the Venetian Bienale (1938). In 1932 he organized an exhibition of Yugoslav book in Leipzig.  

During WWII Ljubo Babić worked for the Independent State of Croatia, designing its flag and money.  

He was active as a book designer between 1908 and 1960.

Worldcat lists three examples outside Croatia (City Library of Ljubljana, New York Public Library and Northwestern University). 
 
References: OCLC 780703258 & 42370702.