Knaknisl un Moizenkayser [“The Nutcracker and King Rat”]. Classic tale by Ernst Theodore Hoffman. Translated from the German by L. Resnick.

Striking cover design, with theatrical themes. At the top, are marching toy soldiers, complete with fife and drumsman. Toy soldiers shoot cannon-balls, while in the lower left corner, a wooden pirate brandishes his sword at King Rat and his accomplices, who spill out of the darkness to fill the lower half of the cover. The expressionless tumbling dancers add to the panic and drama of the scene. As always, Tchaikov’s signature, the Hebrew letter “Teth” is at the lower right corner of the illustration