One of the best coffee-table books on one of the most beloved and tragic families of this century. Several photos show Nicholas and Alexandra before the birth of their first child, Olga, until the house arrest of the family. With an accompanying text and several annonations, this poignant photo album/book show the lives of the Romanovs through carefully chosen pictures from the Russian archives. Leafing through the pages of the book will make one feel transported to a different era, the time of Imperial Russia. A must for Romanov memorabilia collectors and historians.

If you are a Romanov history buff, you MUST get this book. Photos that you won't see in other books, excerpts from personal letters, it's just a one-of-a-kind book. This book touched a place in me that actually hurt when I thought of the family and how they were killed. When you read the girls letters, see their drawings, you know they were sheltered, sweet, loving girls, whose last moments must have been horrific. alix and Nicky, not realizing the depths to which Imperial russia was falling, brought about their families demise, although they had been warned. Rasputin took total advantage of alix's grief, she only wanted her son to live. A beautiful and heartbreaking book. I own a library of Romanov/Imperial russia books, and this one is my favorite.

This is an astonishing book about the last Imperial Family of Russia. Crisp text backed up with amazing and wonderful array of exclusive, never-before seen photographs from the Russian State Archive. Truly, a book that will change your view on the Romanovs.
Highly recommended to those who build a library on the Romanovs.
Great job, Leppi Publications!!!

Our Kindergartener has threatened to steal this from the library. We figured we'd just buy it instead!

i remembered reading this book as a child and loved it. when i had my son i searched for and bought this book. it is a little on the scary side, but teaches children about kindness and gentleness at the same time.

This book scared the bejesus out of me as a child. The version I had came with a record, so the witch's horrid shrieking and teeth gnashing could be adequately grasped by children that were too young to read. This book was also the cause of many sweaty nightmares, and sleepless sunsets with closet lights on. I tell this story orally to children and friends, and they are frightened by the house that stood on chicken feet and the thought of being chased by a nasty witch who runs with unhuman speed through a forest with intentions of eating a little girl. The details of the illustrations are also phenomenal, right down to the unnerving wallpaper in the witch's house. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to punish children with fright, or finally tell a story around a campfire that is truly scary.

This book is an absolute must-read! Before I read this book the history of Russia was a weakly connected sequence of contradictory events to me - that I wasn't able to organize in my mind in any comprehensible way. After reading this book I see a clear picture of my country's history. I suddenly understand what is going on. Every historical event, every action of a historic person suddenly falls into place, I see their meaning. This book provides you with an understanding of the real issues that have been troubling Russia for the past 1200 years. You will understand Russia and you will understand its people. The mext time Russia is on the news, and you have some Russians making a statement or conducting some action - you will understand where they are coming from when they are doing that.

After reading many books on Russian history this one tells me who the players are and how they became players. An excellent book that presents a lot of information on the day to day life of everyone in early Russia.

This is a must read.

Jimmy

I only read this book after I had been studying Russian and Russian history for many years, studied in Russia and married a Russian. It is beyond any doubt the best introduction to the subject that I have found in English. It removes a large amount of misconceptions that Americans have about Russian history, illuminates what deserves to be illuminated, avoids pet topics and romaticisms and manages to do all this without the condescending tone that most American writers take when writing about Russia. If you know nothing about Russia and want to learn, this is an excellent place to start.

By all means, buy this edition if it is your only way to enter the marvelous world that Sienkiewicz has given to Poland and to posterity. Discover why the Trilogy has been a best-seller in its native land for more than a century. Epic adventure, star-crossed love, villains, heroes, treachery, heartbreak and humor. Sienkiewicz wrote to lift up the hearts of his people, and if he doesn't lift yours, double-check to make sure you still have a pulse.

But beg or borrow if you can, and steal if you must, the translation by W.S. Kuniczak that was published in the early 1990s. Discover what happens when a novelist translates. Kuniczak is true not just to the sentences, but to the spirit of the work. He blows the dust out of the century-old writing and lets it shine. And for readers not on intimate terms with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th Century (admit it), he effortlessly drops in helpful hints.

Here's how Curtin starts:

There was in Jmud a powerful family, the Billeviches, descended from Mendog, connected with many, and respected, beyond all, in the district of Rossyeni. ... Their native nest, existing to this day, was called Billeviche; ... In later times they branched out into a number of houses, the members of which lost sight of one another. They all assembled only when there was a census at Rossyeni of the general militia of Jmud on the plain of the invited Estates.

And Kuniczak:

In the part of the old Grand Duchy of Lithuania that was known as Zmudya, and which antedated the times of recorded history, there lived an ancient family named Billevitch, widely connected with many other houses of Lithuanian gentry, and respected more than any other in the Rosyen region. ... Their family seat, known as Billevitche ... so that in time they split into several branches that seldom saw each other. Some of them got together now and then when the Zmudyan gentry gathered for the annual military census near Rosyen on a plain called Stany...

Honestly, which version would you rather spend 1700 pages with? The native nest or the family seat?

(And just by the by, when will a smart publisher sell the Sienkiewicz Trilogy alongside Tolkien? Why do they squirrel it away with the Serious Literature in Translation that mostly gathers dust? There's millions and millions of dollars in these books, lying around, waiting for someone to market them properly.)

The DEluge as with the rest of SIenkiewicz's works is literature of the highest quality. It summarizes the heart and soul of a nation and few other nations can claim to have such an outstanding piece of literature that touches the nations souls as does SIenkiewicz. The DEluge is thelargest of the three books of the Trilogy butlike the others you will simply not be able to put it down. The character development is so real - it is as if you know these people in your personal life - the plots - the action - the human drama - the history - it is simply outstanding. I do not understand why a mini series has not been made out of these novels - It is work of the highest quality which seems to have laid undiscoverd for nealy a century now!

The DEluge centers about Swedens march into POland. POland initially accepted their incursion, however, as the situation worsens the POles srrike back. The Swedish war machine was beleived to be unstoppable throguhout Europe and they did march through Poland but they made a mistake - attacking the town of Czestochowa (pronounced Ches toe hova) which had significant religous importance to the POles. The POles were rallied by a Bishop who held out against the Swedes under great odds and touched the soul of Poland. It is something we need to learn in our country - that we must put country above our personal needs to exist and win in the world. Sienkiewicz brings this point home again and again throughout the novel. Mike Niziol

Nor ears heard what Sienkewicz has prepared for those who love his works! Number two in the trilogy on the history of Poland, this is the best I have read in a long, long time. It stands alone as a story, but many of its characters have been proven in war in other stories of Sienkiewicz. If for that alone, it is worth reading this book after "With Fire and Sword". It tells the love story of a man and a woman tragically separated by foolishness, pride, confusion and the Swedish invation of Poland in the 1500s which divided a nation against itself and drew the best and worst out of its citizens. Above all, this is a romantic novel, but with enough battles, action and virtues to outdo the Illiad. You will cry and laugh as you read it; you will hope against hope; you will feel in the middle of the battle; you will want to unsheath your sword and run after the neighbours... In sum, another Sienkiewicz masterpiece. Written from a Catholic perspective, this book summarizes well the soul of the Polish nation and its love for the Church.

Khrushchev: The Man and His Era is a big, engaging book about a political giant, and author William Taubman has skillfully painted his life on a large historical canvas. Khrushchev emerges in vivid, engaging prose as an intriguing and commanding historical figure whose life affords us an insider's view of the inner workings and evolution of the Soviet political system, from its founding to its demise. MJS TU

When I got done reading this wonderful book, I felt as if I had been at Khrushchev's side throughout his entire life. The book goes into great detail about this man. In addition, it uncovers and debunks some of the myths of Khrushchev. For example, Taubmam debunks the myth that when the decision was made to place missiles in Cuba, it was a decision that the entire Soviet leadership embraced 100%. However, Taubman points out (and proves) that it was Khrushchev that was really the only big driving force behind the idea. I could go into a plethora of other details like that, but that would ruin the fun of the book. In my college class, we were discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis, a student asked how the Soviets were reacting behind the scenes and what lead to their decision. The Prof (a Ph.D holder of over 25 years)really wasn't sure the details of the nuclear standoff on the Soviet side. However, after finishing Taubman's book a couple of days before, I was able to explain exactly what happened. After that, the Prof asked me to stay after class and asked me to Xerox the Cuban Missile Crisis part of the book so he could know what really happened! If a person is interested in the Soviet Union, Khrushchev himself, or the "behind the scenes" of the Soviet Iron Curtain during the Cuban Missile Crisis, pick up this book. It will be a great learning experience .

Professor Taubman has written the difinitive work on Khrushchev for years to come. From his work as a child in the Ukraine to his death in 1971, Khrushchev has been given his due credit in this book. Taubman has done well including every important event and decision throughout Khrushchev's life. His work in the Ukraine as party boss and then as political commissar for the Red Army, his consolidation of power and the destalinization campaign that many will remember him by are all here. As a student of Soviet history, I can say that Taubman's book is a great resource to anyone, no matter what level of knowledge on the subject.

If you're reading this review it's probably because you haven't read Martin Cruz Smith's Red Square yet. And that's too bad, because you're missing a vivid glimpse into both the mafia-riddled new Russia and the loyalties of the human heart. Arkady Renko, the homicide detective hero of Smith's earlier books Gorky Park and Polar Star, returns to Moscow and finds himself battling an international crime ring in a story that crosses the German border and brings him face-to-face with his longed-for lost love. The gripping plot and Smith's masterful ability to capture the nuances of these complex geographical and psychological landscapes make this a book you will remember every time you pick up a copy of your favorite news magazine.

I can't speak for the latest Arkady Renko novel, "Havana Bay," having not read it yet, but for me, the finest of the first three is the magnificent "Red Square," one of the most gripping and memorable thrillers I've read in a long time.

For those that have never read any of Martin Cruz Smith's novels featuring modern fiction most's unique detective (the others being "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star"), you might be surprised by what you find. Smith is no Mickey Spillane--he is a literate, cerebral writer and a first-rate novelist with an unusual gift for both probing, insightful characterizations and heart- pounding, edge-of-your-seat storytelling. His Renko novels can best be described as Saul Bellow meets Robert Ludlum, and Smith's voice is distinctive and unmistakable.

"Red Square" finds Arkady in post-Cold War Russia, investigating murder and intrigue in a society rife with corruption and desperation. He also reunites with his great love from "Gorky Park," and Smith's description of the reunion is among his very best writing. "Red Square" also features Smith's characteristically convoluted plotting, which can at times get confusing, but eventually resolves itself with the most satisfying ending he has yet written for a Renko novel.

All in all, "Red Square," despite a rather slow first 40 pages or so, was one of the most fascinating and unforgettable thrillers of the decade. Outstanding.

All I have to say is if you are thinking of buying this book, do it. If you have not read Gorky Park or Polar Star first, then I strongly suggest you do so. The excellent aspect, I believe, of this book is its connection with the past two. While I enjoyed Gorky Park, Polar Star is where I fell in love with reading about Renko. By the time I read through Red Square, I came immediately online to see if there is another Renko novel to read. There is, Havana Bay, thank goodness, I don't know what I would have done if there wasn't. This is the perfect series of books to read, for anyone who does not mind a little challenge. Enjoy!

"We can always find another widow for Lenin." So threatened Stalin to Lenin's real widow Krupskaya, whom he hated. So absolute was the Communist Party's hold on all aspects of public life in Russia in Stalin's reign, that famous people, who had been praised to the skies just the week before, could be utterly effaced from the public's mind through sheer terror. Once someone fell from favor with the dictator, his name and picture were erased from the public record--even books critical of the person could be proscribed--and to even mention his name might mean prison or worse. This book is the author's attempt to trace the trail of falsification through Stalin-era photos and artworks.

It is a testament to the censor's thoroughness that the trail is quite incomplete. In many cases, the author hasn't been able to find even the name of the extirpated individual in the before-and-after photos. Some of the examples given here were taken from the folio albums of the Soviet photographer Rodchenko. After the bureaucrats he had photographed were arrested and shot, he went to work inking and scissoring out his own work, the images of the new non-persons.

The heroic photomontages, with the jut-jawed Bolsheviks vanguarding the masses, are appalling when you think of how many would later be arrested, tortured into accusing themselves of the most heinous, yet baseless, crimes, and then shot. The damned were airbrushed out of the picture, replaced with a stripped-in comrade, or a painted-in pillar or staircase, sometimes leaving a shoe or elbow that the retoucher missed. The Western mind shudders at the slavish worship that Stalin had at his command, to cause such colossal lies to be perpetuated. Read this big, lavishly illustrated book, and get the real picture.

There is a secret inside this book. Inside is a collage showing about 200 people. These people were instrumental in getting Russia's October Revolution off the ground. Stalin is not one of these people. Therefore, to maintain the myth that Stalin and Lenin were the "Two Leaders" of the Revolution, Stalin had to kill off three quarters of the people on the collage because they "knew too much." And the great purges are what the rest of the book is about.

Stalin, more than anyone else in history, has altered the past to serve the present. His censors have visibly altered old photographs in order to remove the latest denounced "traitor to the working class" (or whatever) from old group photographs. With the old Soviet archives now open to the public and ex-Soviet citizens now free to view the unaltered archives in the West, we can see today how extensive this process was.

Trotsky, his chief opponent, was systematically removed from thousands of photographs -- those where he stood next to Lenin. With Trotsky gone, the 'Trotskyists' (however Commrade Stalin defined them) were next. The group photos had to be cropped in order to cover up the dwindling number of Revolutionary heroes. The comparison between the 'before' and 'after' pictures is chilling reminder of the immense suffering that Stalin caused to people who were as dedicated to the same ideals as he was -- but not as ruthless.

What would it take to make Hell on earth seem real to you? This profoundly disturbing book had that effect for me.

It might be possible to view this book as humorous. Mr. King's years of patient scholarship have unearthed unmarred originals of photographs that he presents with little or no comment next to what are frequently crudely butchered falsifications of those who fell out of favor with Stalin. Particularly in the age of computer photomanipulation, the alterations are initially comical to twenty-first century eyes.

As one works through the book, however, the comic effect is obliterated by mute evidence of the sheer numbers of people who were expunged year after year from the historical record. Particularly frightening are the official portraits self-censored by relatives of the now-deceased in hopes of forestalling the same fate.

Although not strictly a falsification, of particular interest to me was a picture of the document officially expelling Leon Trotsky from the Communist Party, complete with angry annotations in the margin by Comrade Trotsky himself.

I'd like to believe that the very existence of this book and its photographic record, despite the Soviet attempt of many years to rewrite history, proves that no regime can stifle all unflattering facts about itself for all time. But then I wonder in how many cases, about how many people, they might have been successful. By all means, read this book. Be a witness. Remember the dead. But be warned. The stuff of this history is indeed the stuff of nightmares.

I have yet to travel the Trans-Siberian, but when/if I do, I will take this along. It is well organized and has good basic info on both the planning particulars of the train (visas, tickets, weather) and points of interest along the way. My only complaint is that it has quite a few grammatical and spelling errors, which make me wonder about their attention to detail on more important facts.

I found this book to be of great help in planning my Trans-Siberian trip. It is organized and contains information that will definitely be indispensible along the way: basic translations of common terms, general info on departure cities other than Russia and things I would never think of adding to a travel guidebook.
I would recommend this guide to anyone aspiring to travel by train in Russia.
J

It does not cover adequately the dangers of the Mongol/Russian boarder that I'm told is a paradise for the bandit hybred race of bandit/Khan/Slav comprising the area that I will be visiting in seven days. Good luck fellow travlers! May you find what I hope to.

For most of the past century, there have been two schools of thought about Hitler and Stalin. One states that Stalin wasn't really so bad, because he fought the Fascists; the other insists that Hitler wasn't really so bad, because he fought the Communists. Alan Bullock leaves both viewpoints in the dustheap of history, where they belong. Both Hitler and Stalin came as close to pure evil as human beings ever get; both stood for the utter repression of the human spirit and the annihilation of anyone who might possibly be suspected of standing in their way. Bullock demonstrates this in exhaustive, but never exhausting, detail. More people should read this book, if only to be cured forever of any temptation to support any form of totalitarianism, any time, anywhere.

What is most fascinating about this novel dual biographical approach toward understanding both Hitler and Stalin is the startling degree to which such an unorthodox approach illuminates one's understanding not only of their remarkable similarities, but also their philosophical, tactical, and personal differences. This truly is a fascinating and absorbing book, and it is well enough written that the narrative seems to spin along on its own strength, and we find ourselves captivated by the degree to which these two seem star-crossed in terms of their destinies. As Bullock deftly illustrates, the main differences between the two dictators were found in their personalities. Yet, even after all these crucial differences in both personal style and substance are considered, the degree to which they were similar is both remarkable and frightening to comprehend.

Stalin was a creature of bureaucracy, the ultimate insider, someone who knew how to use the organization bonding the Communist Party together for his own rise to prominence and power, an increasingly clever, adroit, and masterful practitioner of power politics. He was nothing if not careful, cautious, deliberate, and shrewd. Hitler, on the other hand, was a gambler, a masterful politician, a bold, easily bored, and endlessly distracted dreamer whose natural ability to charm, captivate, and enchant helped him to rise by extraordinary means. In many ways, these men came to prominence in quite different ways; Stalin, by mastering the art of bureaucratic manipulation and quietly assuming key roles within the organization that gave him friendships, alliances, and information that he used masterfully to rise through the ranks of the faithful, and Hitler, the manic-depressive natural leader whose charismatic popular appeal and desperate, authoritarian, and often violent measures were used to gain political power through extraordinary means.

Yet Bullock shows how similar both men were in terms of the way they used their power once established to execute their national responsibilities, and in the way they ruthlessly pursued their goals without mercy, remorse or any concern for others who suffered for their sake. Both used extralegal means to maintain position, both cruelly purged potential rivals through purges or political overthrows. Both bordered on being psychotic; Hitler coming close to being declared certifiably insane, and Stalin by having all the symptoms of classic paranoia. Certainly both had personal histories that can most kindly be described as bizarre in terms of the ways in which they treated those close to them as well as the populace in general. Both also seemed convinced of their own central and unique role in terms of their country's destiny, and indeed each identified his own importance in terms of succeeding in accomplishing that historical mission. Also, both were guilty of massive crimes against humanity, both against the opposing forces they captured and their own subjects. Hitler persecuted German citizens who were Jewish, Gypsies, or otherwise "undesirables", while Stalin persecuted Ukrainians in general and peasant farmers in particular, not to mention the systematic purges of thousands of Army, Navy, and Air Force officers he or his cronies suspected of potential disloyalty.

This is a wonderful book in terms of its insights, unusual research sources, and provocative speculations regarding each of these two quite unique historical figures. The narrative carries itself in an entertaining, edifying, and comprehensible fashion, and his use of photographs and maps serves the text well. All in all, I would have to describe this book as a must-read for anyone seriously interested in how the personalities and characteristics of these two key leaders in 20th century history figured into the unholy calculus of madness and mayhem, otherwise referred to as World War Two. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

To describe Sir Alan Bullock's Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives as a duel biography does not do it justice. It is no less than a history of the formation and evolution of the most violent and pathological dictatorships in the history the world, and an understanding of these dictatorships is necessary to an understanding of the twentieth century. However, Sir Alan Bullock tells this story primarily through the two men whose efforts, paranoias, prejudicies, and impressive if ultimately evil intellects made their regimes possible. Without a doubt, he tells their stories masterfully, interweaving their lives within the context of twentieth century history and ideas yet maintaining their distinct personal and political identities, talents, and mistakes. His book is both interesting narrative and unquie analytical fair for both the general reader and specialist. In their latest book, Stalinism and Nazism: Dictatorships in Comparison, Sir Ian Kershaw and Moshe Levin write of their subjects: "Studying the history of inhumanity, perpetrated on such a vast, unprecedented scale, has an emotional and psychological cost. It is not like studying the history of philosohpy, the Renaissance, or the age of the cathedrals. The subject matter is less uplifting than almost any other conceivable topic of historical enquiry. But it is history al the same. And it is important. The emotional involvement has to be contained, even when the very effort to arrive at some balanced and reasoned interpretation seems an affront. . . There is nothing else . . . than to adhere to scholarly methods in the hope that knowledge might inform action to prevent any conceivable repetition of such political pathologies as characterised Stalinism and Nazism." With his most recent work, Sir Alan Bullock has gone a long way toward achieving the ideals set forth by Kershaw and Lewin. I highly recommend this book

The best thing about this edition is its stunningly beautiful cover. It goes downhill from there.

The previous edition (was it around 1995?) was really, really very good; ahead of everyone in the business. I wrote a glowing review at that time. Since then, the countries have moved on at an amazin pace, but LP did not manage to catch up.

Cultural information is still good (and that is the area where fewest changes were needed). It is not as good with practicalities: the book is full of small inaccuracies - money, costs, payment options, transport information all suffer from lazy, complacent research.

Another sad fact is that the authors seem to draw upon their one-off impressions: waiters tipping themselves by not giving you the change, what's that about? Credit cards accepted in "main cities and towns" - well, hello, when did you last go to any of the countries? These things go on and on.

As for "Getting There" information, one wonders which planet are Lonely Planet researchers living on. Has anyone told them about the Internet? About cheap offers from the airlines? How long can continue with their ridiculously irrelevant drivel about bucket shops and courier flights?

A good thing that can be said about this Lonely Plant is that it is not of trademark "bleeding-heart" variety and that anti-American propaganda still has not found its way into it. You will have to get the Iceland guidebook if you want some of the most bitter, biased and unwelcome LP campaigning.

Overall, it seems like Lonely Planet is cutting costs, and the most recent thing that they have chopped off is proper research and verification. This is unfortunate, for the start was really good.

I've used this guide to travel from Estonia to Lithuania via Latvia, and I can assure that the coverage of those countries is absolutely great. The stories included in the book are simply juicy drops of culture, and surely they capture your interest and push you to get more deeply in the history of those sites you are visiting. No matters where you go, you will find the essential information and much more than that. This guide worth the money.

As with all of Lonely Planet in Eastern Europe, this book is excellent. The historical background is particularly good, it makes some sense of an extremely complicated, and at times, surprising history. This are in many ways countries, almost of myth and old stamp collections, that have come back to the real world -a fairy tale in more ways than one. This book keeps that spirit alive, and I highly commend it.