I just want to add a note to the review I wrote earlier. De Jonge's "Stalin" was written before glasnost opened some new materials from the Soviet Union for scholars to access. Thus, it is limited from that standpoint. However, this is in no way a serious hindrance to the book. Having also read Conquest's biography of Stalin, which WAS written after glasnost, there is very little that Conquest added to de Jonge and certainly no major re-interpretation. Both books are excellent, de Jonge's a little easier read.

Joseph Stalin is a fascinating subject. Alex de Jonge is an outstanding writer. They combine for a great book. There are other biographies of Stalin; Deutscher is a bit dry, Conquest is excellent, but perhaps a bit short. De Jonge covers his subject thoroughly, but not with so much detail as to overwhelm or lose the reader. De Jonge is an excellent writer, and he combines his talent with useful information and a plethora of fascinating, sometimes hilarious, anecdotes. He doesn't get bogged down in Marxist theory, but he does give a brief synopsis which will benefit the average reader; a scholar might wish for more. Perhaps the most outstanding and useful part of the book are those sections dealing with foreign affairs, especially in the aftermath of World War II. Brilliant analysis....

As the author states,"Stalin successfully imposed his vision upon one sixth of Earth's landmass." Whereas Hitler's charisma was instrumental in his rise to power, Stalin's success was due to his self control and his extraordinary ability in successfully interacting with others, even his enemies. De Jonge's detailed account of Stalin's life helps us understand the man who greatly influenced the course of Russia's recent history.

Mr. Butler just had one of his articles translated into Russian and published in our aviation newspaper which is circulated throughout Eastern Europe and Russia. His adventure certainly is both timely in terms of Russian history and unique in terms of aviation history. Such times of optimism are very rare in Russian history, plus with the cultural exchange aspects, and the fact they were guests of then VP Rutskoi, this group of international adventurers snuck through a window in time not likely to come around any time soon.

I commend their spirit and Mr. Butler's efforts in creating such a wonderful book about the trip.

Vladmir

The son of a Fergus Falls native has published a book that documents an around-the-world flight of 12 small planes. The trip placed Brad Butler in peril of dying several times as the group crossed Russia in 1992, during the breakup of the Soviet Empire.

Butler, son of Ted H. Butler, who graduated from high school here in 1950, is a photographer, not an aviator, by trade. He was doing photography and film work at a Fortune 100 company when he was tapped as a last-minute replacement to document the rally.

Years following the 20 day event, using several pilots' journals, 25 hours of videotape, thousands of photographs and his memory, Butler wrote, A World Flight Over Russia.

As this is being written, two adventurers have just become the first to circumnavigate the world nonstop in a balloon. Almost seven years earlier, a group of private pilots flew around the world with much the same enthusiasm in their small General Aviation aircraft. But it is the very subject of their stops that makes A World Flight Over Russia entertaining.

Written by Brad Butler, the group's historian and photographer, it is the true story of 12 small planes flying 17,500 miles around the world in 20 days while traversing Russia. This was supposed to be the inaugural event of what was to be repeated every summer with a different group flying a different route across that vast country. Unfortunately, as the political landscape changed, so did the opportunity to make this an annual aviation happening.

Though they created several aviation "firsts," the book distills down to a story about people. Despite years of deprivation and political problems, the Russian people were found to be consistently warm-hearted and giving. And though it may be only a footnote in a long line of aviation achievements, it is nonetheless a truly unique tale about a group of determined pilots. It makes from some fascinating reading.

Professor Hubbell's book was worthwhile on three levels. First, through his words he gives us a snapshot of Russia, Italy and Wyoming. Second, he describes the workings of a Russian university and juxtaposes it on a typical American university experience. On top of it all, he tells the very entertaining story.

While maintaining an underlying satirical tone, the author manages an engaging story about the challenges of intellectual and physical burnout. The international flavor lends a modern day touch and a unique way to view the tales of family and romance that weave into the mystery and suspense. By combining harshly real descriptions of the environmental settings with refreshingly accurate portrayals of real human reactions to those environments, the author invites the reader to empathize with the characters and get completely involved in the story.

Larry Hubbell shows an extraordinary insight into all of the characters in "Almost Dysfunctional".Their feelings,their expressions, and their actions. Suspenseful to the end. A remarkable first book.

I am thoroughly impressed with the author's ability to show us a detailed picture of everyday life in the Russian hinterlands. I never imagined people could still live that way in this day and age. We (Americans) are very much spoiled by what we consider "our necessities" in life. The emotions and visuals this book brought to me were so clear and real. I thought the last chapter written by the author's husband was a very nice touch. We have the story from both sides of this very adventurous couple! I was a little nervous about having to read about the Russian government/politial issues in this book, but was quite surprised and pleased to see it wasn't like any other book I've read about Russia. It is about the daily life of the everyday common person (or Americanski)in Pavlovo, Russia. Thank you for sharing your story, Missy Moore!

What a wonderful narrative of a present day adventure! Students often need material on Russia but are put off by lengthy books that are heavy on history and very short on interesting daily life. This book is perfect. It is like listening to a favorite relative tell about the trials of the depression and how it influenced all that came after.....

This is an invaluable book for those who complain about living in the USA, those interested in human nature, Russian travel or culture, or book lovers in general.

The most insightful comments about human nature: property that is owned by everyone is not kept up by anyone and its corollary, property that is owned by everyone is free for the taking by anyone. Her examples are poignant, especially her attempt to set an example.

Missy's love and concern for the ordinary people of the Russian hinterland overcame the deprivations and primitive conditions where they lived for 15 months. The isolation was intense, but expressed only in the context of overcoming it. The Russians responded to Missy with warmth that was in stark contrast to the very cold climate.

Not only did I greatly enjoy the book, but since I was away when it arrived, I had to wait for my husband and a friend (who is going to Russia) to finish the book first. Our friend immediately bought a copy for his wife.

Like most literary masterpieces this marvelous book has a outer vehicle that develops an inner theme. The vehicle is a journey on foot, horseback and barge across Europe in the 1930's when the author was 19. The inner theme is a resolution of polarities and opposites of all kinds. First there is the overriding polarity of solitude and company. He enjoys spending time with friends and friends of friends at their country homes in Hungary and Roumania and passing hours in their sometimes fabulous libraries but he finds refreshment and spiritual renewal in long solitary walks in wooded mountains and along the banks of the Danube where he meets an occasional deer or golden eagle. He relishes staying with his wealthy, worldly and sophisticated hosts but also enjoys the company of peasants, gypsies and lumberjacks. He likes passing comfortable nights in reasonably soft beds with clean linens but doesn't shrink from sleeping in hayricks or under sheltering oaks. The interplay of past and present are another polarity he weaves into the narrative. His knowledge of history and use of it in this work is both magnificent and enviable. Leigh Fermor is in fact one of the most cultured contemporary writers I have had the good fortune to read. He is a good linguist, a masterful historian and , surprisingly, a knowledgeable theologian. But that is only half the story. He is also a super-macho man of action completely aware of his body and its interaction with the environment. This we know from his activities, almost heroic feats, during WWII, especially in Crete. In the present book he coordinates his mental and physical endowments to produce a gorgeously textured masterpiece of English prose. Sex is not absent from the narrative but it is never described in terms that could be considered even remotely graphic. Acts are kept in the wings while he concentrates on the social, intellectual, and aesthetic dimensions of his relations with women. Unfortunately Amazon.com does not keep an ample stock of Leigh Fermor's works, so I had to purchase my copy from Amazon.co.uk. I may be impatient but my sense of company loyalty is unimpeachable. No?

I am not aware of any other account of Ada Kaleh, the island in the Danube populated by a Turkish enclave that was lost when the river was dammed in the '40s. I found an old postcard of the island in Hungary, and it's one of my favorite possesions.

Patrick Leigh Fermor not only fills the 'unforgiving minute' but describes that experience in a way that transports us to that minute. One line from "Between the Woods and the Water" stays in my mind. "The heat and weight of the summer bore down and not a leaf stirred". Or, how about, "the newly distilled spirit had taken out the peasants like sniper". For a feeling of 'being there' he can't be beaten, certainly not by Ernest Hemingway who tried and failed by appearing too contrived. The writers who achieve this power to transport, as musicians or painters do can let us ignore their presence and I think that is their artistic intention, to merely present (with all their craftsmanship but so it doesn't show). Paul Bowles is such a writer as is Elmore Leonard. But that's another story.

I ordered this book but was sent a book on grilling...I returned the grilling book but have not been credited for the st petersburg book..please refer this to the proper dept. thank you!

This can be an expensive book if you're not buying it used, but it's absolutely worth it. The beautiful pictures are excellent at presenting St. Petersburg's amazing architectural wonders. The text is well-written, and even if you don't have a great deal of knowledge of Russian history, you'll still be able to follow along without any trouble.

A gem - read and enjoy!

One of the most beautiful books I've ever come across, St. Petersburg:Architecture of the Tsars is a must for those interested in Imperial Russian history, architecture, or both. The lavish book aptly illustrates the architecture of the former capital of the tsars, from the exuberant Russian Baroque of Peter the Great, to the neoclassicism of Catherine the Great, to the Art Nouveau of Nicholas II. With chapters arranged in chronological order, the book illustrates the development of the city through the reigns of each tsar/tsaritsa, and includes seperate chapters on Pavlovsk, Tsarskoe Selo, and Peterhof. The book is well worth the price.

I have never read a book as good as this. Katerina is a couragous young woman who sets out to gain her horses back after her village destroyed and she sets out to find the man who stole her virginity. The tables turn on her though. I loved this book and I know you will too.

This book makes every pore in my body want to cry. It's a battle of wits and pride between the heroine (kat) and the hero. It is by far the best book written by Fern Michaels. It takes place in an interesting time nad makes you wish you a bystander to watch all this happen. Read it!

WhiteFire by Fern Michaels is wonderful. Although Russia is not my favorite setting for books, this one is an exception. From word go you fall in love with Katerina. She is wonderful as a character. You have to read this one for a really great book!

Once past the Introduction, which is so laden with copious details of the lurid opulence that attended the coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra that the effect is almost soporific, this is a marvelous history of Russia's immense cultural heritage. It would be a finer work if it were, say, a 2-volume study, able to reach deeper and leave a more comprehensive mark; for a single-volume history of an epic thousand years, however, it is rich with nugget after nugget of genuine scholarship and understanding about a seemingly infinite panoply of artistic richness. Lincoln not only covers all the arts- architecture, painting, music, literature (his revelations of Gogol are alone worth the price of the volume!), he exquisitely realises the integration of his subject into a fine general history of Russia. Catherine the Great is given rather short shrift, not much meat there, but the chapters on the Romantic period and the rise of Realism are fascinating and meticulous crafted. This is history writing Richard Pipes can only dream of- readable, deep, authentic, and sensitively attuned to genuine literary merit. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a solid history of Russian arts; it's intelligent, beautifully paced, and not burdened by unnecessary digression. Russiaholics, of course, will eat it up!

It skimps quite a bit on Russia's musical history but otherwise rates excellent and exhaustive in its examination of Russian culture. A little dry at times, and often focuses more on breadth than depth, giving some insight into Russian history, a lot of insight into Russia's visual arts and art patrons, and a good analysis of the books thesis, one why Russia's has been suspended between, "Heaven and Hell," although it does not exhaustively examine the theme of the title.

Bruce Lincoln has chosen a very apt title to describe Russian history and culture. On one hand Russia has been plagued with an often violent history and tyrannical rulers. On the other Russians have adapted to the cultures of their invaders and the cultures they absorbed through their own invasions. This process has enabled Russians to develop an amazing cultural and intellectual heritage that should be envied by the entire world. I bought this book to help me understand Russian music - which I find to be among the most beautiful ever written - and film for a research project on Eisenstein. I found the approach very useful in understanding a this great film director given the political nature / and purpose of his films. However, the book will enlighten your understanding of the 19th century literary greats Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and particularly Gogol.
It is suitable for the expert of Russian studies as well as the novice - so long as you can appreciate great art as well as the failures and the achievements of man. Ochin Khorosho