The twelve chairs : a novel
(Book)

"Originally published in Russian under the title Dvenadtsat' Stul'ev in 1928."

Includes bibliographical references.

"Ippolit Matveevich Vorobyaninov, a former nobleman eking out a living in the provinces, has returned to his hometown in search of the jewels his mother-in-law hid in one of a set of twelve identical dining room chairs to avoid confiscation by Soviet officials. Now the chairs themselves have been scattered to the four winds. Enter Ostap Bender, the smooth operator--an inveterate con artist and one of the most iconic figures in Russian literature--who volunteers his services for a generous take of the profits. The adventures of this unlikely pair take them across the fledgling Soviet state, from the provinces to Moscow to the peaks of the Transcaucasian Mountains."--P. [4] of cover.