Dr. Watson is an impeccable gentleman who is also an excellent professor. Thus, it came as no surprise to me when I uncovered the depth and scope of his research on the collapse of Soviet communism. Dialectical materialism and Sovietology are clearly presented and I came away with a profound understanding as to why the great experiment of the twentieth century failed.

One of the best books I've read about the reemergence of independent Latvia. The title is a little misleading; the subtitle should come first, because this is really about how the collapse played out in Latvia. Written by a first-hand observer. Enough background to keep everything clear for those not familiar with Latvia. For those who are, the author's very clear, precise, informative re-statement of the history that we all know is a huge pleasure to read. This is a scholarly book that is easy to read -- in fact, it's a real page turner! If you get it from the library, you will want to own it afterwards, so just go ahead and buy it -- you will want to lend it to your friends.

This 650-plus page volume does not cover the entire poetic work of Yevgeny Yevtushenko until 1990, but it comes close. Not all his collected poems are here, either: selections from from "Bratsk Station" and excerpts from long poems such as "Under the Skin of the Statue of Liberty" and "Ivan the Terrible and Ivan the Fool" reduce a bit the scope that we are presented with, although not the quality. His most memorable poems are here and the translation is excellent. What I like the most about Yevtushenko is that he is capable of writing good, even great poetry, from an absolutely opposite perspective to mine. He was, for most of his life, a convinced socialist, a man who really believed in the "human face" of socialism and even in that catchy word "internationalism" that the old autocrats in the Kremlin liked so much. Life seems to have made it very plain to him that the dream had always been a nightmare. But his poems are still here and one of the reasons why Yevtushenko hasn't been swept away like many of the so-called poets who sang for the Soviet regime, is that he never did that. He believed in socialism, but he could write "Russian Tanks in Prague" and tell the truth about the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. A very long poem, included in this collection, is "A Dove in Santiago: A Novella in Verse," where he attempts to understand and explain, from a socialist point of view, the events in Chile, 1973. He fails, but he is not the first one to get it wrong (most non-Chileans have gotten it wrong) and he, at least, does it with a lot of talent. I don't agree with Yevtushenko's socialism, but I can't help liking his poetry. "Babii Yar," also included in this book, is an ode to the Jews murdered by the nazis in a ravine, and violated a second time by the Soviets who covered up the crime because the Moscow government was deeply antisemitic. Yevtushenko writes about all this. He writes an elegy for New York and starts one of his poems with the verse "Moscow believed my tears..." This is a versatile poet, a man who has visited places and has the talent to tell us his version of what he has seen in an original, beautiful manner. Yevtushenko is far more accessible than some of the more modern Russian poets, but accessibility does not mean less quality. On the contrary, his poetry is clear, honest, passionate, direct, and articulate. My only regret regarding this volume is the absence of my favorite poem by Yevtushenko: "On the Death of a Dog." Other than that, his talent shines through this compact, affordable book, with poems such as "The City of Yes and the City of No," "Stolen Apples," "White Nights in Archangel," "Zima Junction," "The Heirs of Stalin," "Requiem for Challenger," etc. As soon as the book becomes available, buy it: you won't regret it.

This is a really handsome book and with it's companion (vol. 2) makes a great addition to world lit. on your bookshelf. Some stories are novellas and some are only a page or two long but they're all artfully written and come from old established translations from late 19th century/early 20th. For anyone who wants to tackle WAR AND PEACE or ANNA KARENINA they should read a little of Tolstoy's more accessible short works and they can't go wrong here. My only complaint (and this goes for all Everyman series books) is that the text printed on the other side is annoyingly visible making reading a bit of a chore. This is a major blunder for any series of books purporting to capture the world's best literature but if you can ignore this (or at least get used to it) this would be a smart purchase because the price is right (if you buy it here).

Although an adult, I still enjoy reading children's books, as you can see from some of my previous reviews. I found this book to be educational and very interesting, and believe that children will enjoy learning from it.

In Colors of Russia, Ms. Zemlicka uses different colors to convey a variety of facts about Russia. For example, the color orange tells us about the Siberian tiger, how it's the world's largest cat and is on the verge of extinction. To acquaint yourself and your child with Russia I highly recommend this exceptional book.

This is a pretty good book since it provides a good description of what Soviet commandos actually did during World War II. If you can get by some of the European-style bravado and the Communist titles, such as Hero of the Army, and that sort of thing, the book is worth reading and provides valuable insight into the work of these people.

Essentially, this book covers the Soviet commandos (all sailors) on the Danube River in areas largely occupied by the retreating Germans and in the Crimea area during the time the Germans held control there.

The book is broken up into short "adventures" or missions, each of which is exciting enough to keep the reader glued to the pages. Some of the missions are incredible but yet believable since they do make sense. What these commandos do, or did, is somewhat like the work of U.S. Navy Seals.

The book is a translation, so it does have a stilted tone to it; however, the narrations are so well done descriptively, that you get the impression it must be a beautiful work in Russian. And it probably is.

The book is easy reading, very revealing, and exciting. The characters are very real and act in a Euro-macho manner, making the reader chuckle at times at their naivete.

This book shows the soviet system in relation to human rights with innocent people. This shows how innocent people suffered in Siberia without food, shelter, shows, clothes, all in freezing wheather, when you thought that no one else you loved for or cared about would return to you once again.

This is an unique book that brings together the entire European Customs Law, including implementation law and Jurisprudence. It is valuable guide for research and learning about the developments in Europe.

Ok, I haven't read the book, but I heard an interview with Ken Thomas on the radio talking about his book and it sounds very interesting. It's about corporate welfare (subsidies/tax breaks given to business by state,local, or national government in order to convince business to build in its area). Im waiting for the book to come in at my local library because there is no way in hell im paying 65 dollars for it. That really bothers me. Anyway, when i finish it, i'll Write a real review. I wouldnt be requesting if from the library if I didnt think it sounded good on the radio.

I'm A college student in university in japan.
I interesting to learn about the champa people and literature...
so, i need a good book for reference

thank you