I first became aware of Tajikistan after receiving a new globe as a wedding gift. I spun it and my finger dropped on the tiny country. I remarked to my new wife, "I wonder what they do there?" Ever since, I have been facinated by this mysterious country half a world away. The series of essays contained within "Tajikistan: The Trials of Independence" provide an in-depth, and occassionally disconcerting, picture of the pains this country has encountered in its short independent life. It provides a detailed ethnographic study that underscores the deep divisions within the population; it chronicles the struggle to combat rebel opposition from within and drug trafficers from without; it also shows how foreign aid (and, primarily, Russian military protection) has prevented total collapse. I have never been to Tajikistan; I have no ties to the country. This book, however, has given me a new appreciation for its struggles.

"The Tale of the Firebird" told and illustrated by Gennady Spirin is adapted from three Russian fairy tales: "Ivan-Tsarevitch and Gray Wolf," "Baba Yaga," and "Koshchei the Immortal." The result is an original story about Ivan-Tsarevitch, the youngest son of the Tsar, who goes on a magical quest when his father declares he must have the Firebird. The reward will be half of his father's kingdom. With Gray Wolf as his companion, Ivan-Tsarevitch travels to different exotic countries when they encounter great evil as well as beauty and love beyond compare as they complete the series of tasks that will allow them to obtain the Firebird. Flying on the talking wolf, our hero confronts the wicked Baba Yaga and rescues the princess Yelena the Beautiful from Koshcehi the Immortal. The way Spirin weaves together these various folk tales is well done, but the strength of this book lies in the delicate and luminous illustrations, which were done in watercolor on Arches watercolor paper. It is from reading glorious picture books like "The Tale of the Firebird" that I have gotten a much better appreciation of what marvelous work can be done with watercolors. This is an exquisite little gem of a book.

This is a beautifully done book with exceptional illustrations. It has a magical feel to it that really will intrigue the child as well as the adult. It is perfect for girl or boy readers because of its classic fairy tale storyline. Loved it, and so did my son!

This book is absolutely unputdownable. A thrilling read from start to finish and very well constructed. The portion that deals with the author's journey at the very end of Word War II with her husband from their beautiful haven-like estate in Czechoslovakia to their bombed out estate on the Rhine is gripping.

This delightful book shows a remarkable panorama of circumstances in which the author found herself, and she shows amazing courage and fortitude each time, and appears to be an amzingly adaptable human being. There is also a certain amount of wry humour in the Princess's writing style which is delightful.

A wonderful book by a beautiful lady.

This is a marvelous book which works on many levels at once. The way the author has mixed biographical with interpretive and background information on the songs is masterful - exactly because it isn't heavy handed or 'routine' in that the reader never feels he's following a template (such as first paragraph biography, second paragraph, info about song's origins, third paragraph interpretive discussion of music/lyrics/symbolism/emotive quality of song). Instead, all of these are present but in a never routinized blend. Gorgeous writing, a sympathetic portrait of Tchaikovsky as artist and a fascinating tour of a whole era of Russian (and world) high culture. The book portrays a huge international cast of characters, major and minor, that are interacting and influencing and supporting one another, with Tchaikovsky at the center of focus. It's a wonderful book - the kind that doesn't stop revealing its bounties after reading, it's a great reference work and lovely for just dipping into when one needs multi-sensory inspiration. Truly!

As a youngster I read some generic collection of composer's lives that was meant to be inspiring and edifying. Tchaikovsky's story ended with a strange tale of suicide committed by intentionally drinking a disease tainted glass of water in a restaurant. I was only about eleven years old and I distinctly remember thinking that the story was totally unbelievable, ridiculous and outrageous. What an inane theory. Many years later in the Nineteenth Century Music journal I read a brilliant article by Alexander Poznansky. With the thrilling determination and detail of a Grisham mystery thriller, using Petersburg medical statistics and even coroner's reports Poznansky pieces together Tchaikovsky's final weeks and establishes to any jury's satisfaction that the suicide theory is complete fantasy. Over the next few months the magazine was a maelstorm of scholarly discussion with Poznansky always taking the day. Even the new Grove Dictionary supports this suicide by water glass theory this time with a dash of arsenic, which is patently ridiculous on face value, except they add a "top secret" judicial tribunal from Tchaikovsky's high school that supposedly orders his demise. The theory being that Tchaikovsky, a world travelled, rich, renowned, and successful man, was so attached to his high school that even thirty five years later their poor opinion could precipitate his willing suicide. How could Grove's publish such nonsense? So is this book necessary? Absolutely. This book takes those original articles as its kernel with a great deal of expansion and refinement. It is a vital piece of Tchaikovsky scholarship and is a wonderful reading experience. It has a wonderful array of Tchaikovsky photos and documents not available elsewhere. There are not many scholarly books that are page turners, but this one is.

This is a wonderful book. The technique of editing Tchaikovsky's actual and voluminous correspondence into one coherent stream makes for fascinating and tasty reading. Tchaikovsky's intelligence is made obvious, as is his exquisite sensitivity, keen perception, expressivity, and personal charm. I was reading a standard biography at the same time I was reading this, and the comparison did not flatter the standard format. There is no substitute for the "real deal". We are lucky to have this first person record of his "in the moment" thoughts. It is sad that letter writing is a dead practice because it disciplines the writer's mind and reveals much to the lucky reader. This book has given me extraordinary pleasure.

This extraordinary hand deploys a range of stories from economic advantage to theological ecumenism throughout queens and aces and jacks. Purpling shtetls at the turn of the century, at the end of the tsar and the end of kings, with proclamation and discourse and contract, a testimony to this comic writer's art and the instantaneous perception of his character, the shlimazl of Gemara and kine.

This is a wonderful book to use as a resource in a storytime setting. The pictures are bright and colorful. The story is easy for even preschool age children to follow along.
The ending is wonderful and a great lead in to a discussion on apples and worms.

Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) starts by telling us of her childhood in pre-revolution Russia, in turn of the century St. Petersburg. Her father was also a dancer, Platon Karsavin, and the account of her childhood gives us a rare insight in middle class life of that epoch. There is a detailed description of life in the boarding school and the Imperial ballet. She writes with great tenderness about life at school and about one of the teachers, Christian Petrovich Johansson. In those days he was already in his nineties, a Swede who had turned grumpier with the years, but was one of the greatest teachers in the history of the school. It is with great pride and joy I read that she attributed so much to my compatriot! During the revolution and its aftermath, Karsavina remained in Russia till the bitter end. Then, she too, with her English-born husband and small son, decided to leave. The family escaped through the North of Russia on an English vessel - the famous ballerina and her husband on the crew list as stewardess and purser respectively. Safety was at last in sight in England where they made their home. The last sentence of her account is beautiful: "That night we arrived in Middlesbrough - The Maryinski and Theatre Street left behind for ever, these were the footlights of a new world". Anyone who has ever been to grimy Middlesbrough can only compare with the glitter of old St. Petersburg. The book was originally published in 1930; in the revised edition of 1981 there is an added chapter on Diaghilev which Karsavina wrote in 1947. This beautiful volume with its evocative illustra- tions would really merit 10 stars, but as five is the highest accolade, I have to limit myself. Maybe the finest dance biography written this century.