In fair condition, the boards are covered in pale green colored paper with gold lettering on the spine. There is a previous owner's name on the front inside cover. The dust jacket has some rubbing on the spine where the color has rubbed away a bit. The pages have some staining on the edges. Donald Rayfield is an English academic and Emeritus Professor of Russian and Georgian at Queen Mary University of London. He is an author of books about Russian and Georgian literature, and about Joseph Stalin and his secret police. He is also a series editor for books about Russian writers and intelligentsia. He has translated Georgian, Russian and Uzbek poets and prose writers.