The 12 Chairs

by Yevgeny Petrov, Robert Woody (Narrator), Ilya Ilf

In Soviet Russia of the 1920s, a dying woman reveals a tantalizing her family’s fortune in jewels has been hidden inside one of twelve ordinary chairs. This confession sets off a madcap treasure hunt that spans small provincial towns, the bustling streets of Moscow, and the glittering resorts of the Caucasus.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.39 on Goodreads with 24,400+ ratings

Here's what reviewers had to

"According to a twenty-something friend who recently immigrated to the U.S. from Russia, this 1927 satirical-comic novel is still so popular in Russia that not only has everyone read it (on their own—not in school!) but everyone quotes from it in their everyday speech."

"The funniest book ever written."

"A thousand kind of people are living in this book. Rich, poor, old, young, crafty, deceived, brave, coward, intellectual, ignorant... But the thing that brings them together is the pursuit of money. Ilf and Petrov successfully and colourfully portrays one of the most important passions of mankind - getting rich."

"An absolute masterpiece! This was an audiobook for me this time and while I have read it before the audio experience has just amplified my admiration to this book."

Audible Audio

Published September 18, 2026

About the author

Yevgeny Petrov (Russian: Евгений Петров), also spelled Evgeny or Yevgeni, was a popular Soviet author in the 1920s and 1930s. He often worked in collaboration with Ilya Ilf. As Ilf and Petrov, they wrote The Twelve Chairs, released in 1928, and its sequel, The Little Golden Calf, released in 1931.

Following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, Petrov became a war correspondent. He was the brother of Valentin Katayev.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a Marx brothers’ movie set in 1927 Russia. Like a Marx brothers movie, it feels like it would be funnier performed as a movie or play, the slapstick feels like it loses something in writing.