Author Description

Once upon a time in Russia, Nicolas Cheremeteff was the richest man in the land. He owned castles and lands and 200,000 souls. But more than all his gold and wealth, he loved...music. The Pearl is the true-life Cinderella story of a love affair that broke all social conventions: the romance of wealthy Russian nobleman Nicolas Cheremeteff and a serf named Praskovia, a girl with a miraculous singing voice and kind heart. Brought together by their mutual love for music, their marriage shocked eighteenth century society but eventually became one Russia's greatest love stories. The Pearl features elegant ink and pencil illustrations overlaid with vibrant colors and depicts the rich fashions and culture of historical Russia during the time of Catherine the Great. Nan Richardson has worked as an editor, writer, and curator for over twenty years on nearly two hundred book titles at Aperture Foundation, Random House, and Chanticleer Press, as well as with museums and small publishers in the United States and Europe. She lives in New York with her husband and two children. Alexandra Young graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in communications design in 2009. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and works at Marvel Entertainment, LLC.