Two graded easy readers have been written on the basis of Lermontov's Taman' episode in his A Hero for our Times, both replacing more complex vocabulary with easier words for beginners.

The older book, edited by F. Marshak-Sobotka, was published in 1946 as Taman' by Harraps in London and as Graded Russian Reader Book One by D. C. Heath of Boston. The volume has footnotes explaining problem phrases and exercises and a full vocabulary at the back.

The other book, currently available, is edited by Sigrid Schacht and Helge Vangmark and was first published by Aschehoug of Denmark in 1976. It does not have a vocabulary at the back, but there are footnotes for difficult phrases, and labelled illustrations. A useful first Russian book. ( )

Russian/Reader