It's a very interesting topic. And the most interesting thing (to me) is that it was all the productr of a "memorial project" to celebrate the 125th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his death. Here we are 50 years later and the goal to "deepen the understanding between Americans and Russians" is being realized at Boston University's Twain/Tolstoy Symposium. Amazing. 

As for copyright? I doubt there were any early on. But this is something that I just started looking into so time will tell for sure. 

Transcribing more on this topic all week and will be added to the blog as the new material is ready. 

Quoting David Davis <[log in to unmask]>:

> Interesting! Obviously there is "Mark Twain and the Russians: a literary
> exchange" to look at (Charles Neider's Cold War -era correspondence on
> the topic, published in 1960).
>
> Were the early Russian (pro-Soviet) editions you mention *authorized* --
> under SLC's copyright -- or not ( =3D pirated) ? Simply out of =
> curiosity.
>
>
> DDD
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of brent
> colley
> Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 1:15 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Mark Twain in Russia (His Works)
>
> Hello everyone!
>
> I know I've been pretty quiet since the Centennial but with the
> Twain/Tolstoy Symposium quickly approaching I have the Twain hat back
> on.
>
> Right now I'm in the process of transcribing information about the
> interest
> Russia had in Mark Twain's works. The first round of information has
> been
> posted at the blog w/ photos of some Russia Twain books too!
>
> http://twainproject.blogspot.com
>
> Here's a sample:
>
> "Mark Twain is one of the best known and most popular foreign authors in
> the
> Soviet Union. His productions were first introduced to Russian readers
> in
> the early 1870's. Mark Twain's story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of
> Calaveras County" was translated into the Russian language in 1872, and
> ?The
> Gilded Age? immediately after its publication in America; it was printed
> in
> "Otechestvenniye Zapiski," a progressive Russian magazine headed by the
> great Russian poet Nekrasov and by the illustrious satirist
> Saltykov-Shchedrin. The first collection of Mark Twain's productions was
> published in Russia, in 11 volumes, in 1890. The second edition of Mark
> Twain?s works was published in the year of Mark Twain's death, and a
> complete collection in 28 volumes appeared in 1911."
>