Think "Russian Revolution" and what date comes to mind? 1991? 1917? 1905?

Try: December 14, 1825!

Ninety two years before the Revolution of 1917 in which the Bolsheviks seized power, a miscarried Revolution occured which aimed for the first time ever, to change the Tsarist autocratic regime in Russia and institute a more liberal, democratic system. It failed, yet its repercussions continued to be felt for decades to come.

The First Russian Revolution-1825, by Dr. Anatole G. Mazour, published originally in 1937 and making extensive use of primary Russian sources stands the test of time as the definitive work on this little known yet profound event in the political life of Imperial Russia.

What came to be known as the Decembrist Revolt is traced back to its roots in the 18th century Russia where the development of an intelligensia is sparked by internal reforms and the Enlightenment thinking infiltrating from Western Europe. The economic problems caused by serfdom, where an astonishing 90% of the population of Russia lived as virtual slaves to the nobility; the influence of Russia's decisive participation in the Napoleonic Wars; Russian participation in European affairs; and increasing contact with the West stimulated the growth of these ideas.

The general brutality and cruelty of the Tsarist ministers and officals and their reaction to blossoming liberal ideas led to the development of secret societies of various philosophies and objectives culminating with a challenge the Tsarist government on December 14, 1825. It was the first day of the reign of Tsar Nicholas I.

The book is very well organized in an easy to read 290 pages which covers the social, political and economic conditions in the north and south of Russia, its relations with neighboring states, the revolt itself, and the trial and resulting punishment of the revolutionaries. It contains some surprising revelations, such as the extensive use of French as a language of Russian royalty and the nobility, and personal insights into Nicholas I and his unusual rise to the throne. Dr. Manzour ends with an analysis of the lasting effects of the revolt on Nicholas I personally and the Tsarist autocratic system, and the development of the Russian state.

Included in the appendix are excerpts of the testimony and letters of some of the principal revolutionists to the Tsar's investigative commission; their letters to Nicholas himself, and letters between Nicholas and his elder brother Grand Duke Constantine. Also included are numerous portraits of various participants. Unfortunately in the edition I have (1961), the letters between Nicholas and Constantine, as well as some additional documents are in their original French! Hopefully a future edition will translate these into English so they will be understandable, and with a footnote to indicate the original document was written in French.

This book is required reading for all those who want to understand the origins of Russia's long struggle to become a free, open, democratic society with a market economy ruled by laws and not by men. This endeavor continues, with more success, to this day...177 years later.

This out-of-print book is full of great stories by/about a little known soviet scientist whose work foreshadowed many of the ideas later popularized in the west. For example, a book by Shkolvsky was the launch-pad for Carl Sagan's career; "Intelligent Life in the Universe" was Shkolovsky's (translated by Sagan and with Sagan's annotations marked) but no royalties or fame ever came Shkolvsky's way and surprisingly enough this caused no (apparent) animosity between them. If you would enjoy a book by/about a better known scientist such as Sagan you will find this an excellent and enjoyable addition to your shelf!

The most amazing thing about this book is its entertainment value actually equals its historic value. These are bios of women who put their values and the lives of Russian peasants ahead of their own. It features the primary account of the world famous assassination of Governor Trepov from the pen of his assassin, Vera Zasulich. It also features Vera Figner's account of her unsuccessful (and finally successful) attempts to assassinate Tsar Alexander II. The sacrifices of these women include shedding aristocratic lifestyles for back breaking labor in noblemen's fields so they could teach peasants how to read and spread propaganda for their cause. Some of their comrades actually went insane in the process. You will read about their experiences as exiles in Siberia, and one of the greatest escapes Hollywood never saw. Whether you consider yourself a history buff, or just appreciate great stories, you will love this book.

For those who have an incklng to study the Napoleonic era with the intent of learning about the flags of Napoleon and his enemies,this book is it. Very beautiful illustrations of the flags of the early 19th century France which were used in conflict against England,Russia and Prussia and others. A historians choice book on the subject.

Bulgakov is beloved for his novel "Master and Margarita", a surreal working of the Faust legend set in Stalinist Russia. These two plays "Flight" and "Bliss" show Bulgakov's real forte--drama. He authored plays (not published in his lifetime) and worked as a stage director (an assistant director, all he was allowed by the Soviet government, who knew him for an independent thinker.)

Both plays are very readable, despite the workaday translations. Bulgakov's flights of fancy and sarcasm (a future world without crime, for example) are comic yet scary. If you want to really get to know Bulgakov's work, these plays, plus "Heart of a Dog". "White Guard" and "Master and Margarita" make a good starting collection of his best works.

None of the eight tales in this splendid book, first published by Moscow's Raduga in 1986, are Russian. They are all from Central Asia, the former Republics now at the center of the news. In these lands, the people obviously derive much of their entertainment from stories, and these examples twist and turn through 189 pages of fine, magical, and strangely familiar adventures.

From Uzbekistan, readers are treated to Three Brothers, a story retold by Sergei Palastrov in which the father of Tonguch-batyr (21), Ortancha-batyr (18) and Kenjdja-batyr (16) passed some wisdom to his boys. "I am not rich," he told them as he grew old, "and what you inherit after me will not last long."

Still, since he raised them in good health, as strong warriors with nothing to fear, he asked them to be honest (so they'd live without qualms), not to brag (so they'd never be ashamed), and not to be lazy (so they'd be happy). "For the rest," he told them, "it's your own lookout." He sent them off on three horses with food for a week to seek their fortunes.

They rode off together the next morning, and that evening divided the night into three watches. On the first watch, Tonguch heard a noise and drew his sword. Moments later, a lion emerged from the brush, and he slew it and returned to the camp with a small trophy from his prey. Ortancha-batyr's watch came second and Kendja-batyr's third.

The next night, on Ortancha-batyr's watch, Azhdar-sultan, King of the Snakes, emerged from the thicket and he slew him, just as his brother did the lion. He too returned to the camp with an easily concealed piece of his prey, as if nothing had happened.

The third night, the fire went out and Kendja-batyr left his brothers to thwart a band of robbers who intended to steal from the Shah. Before morning he returned to his brothers as if nothing happened, with a whole set of trophies.

The next morning, when the brothers came to the town, the Shah asked all strangers to come at once to his palace. The plot takes many detours and includes a tale within a tale. The illustrations by Uzbek artist Javlon Umarbekov are as lavish as the story, in which the young men followed their father's advice and became quite happy.

The next two tales hail from Kirghiz.

In Which was Biggest (retold by Mikhail Bulatov), readers again meet three brothers, who decided to live separate and apart. But they had only one bull between them, and failing to see how they could divide it, they set off to consult a wise man. The bull was so huge that, although one traveled by its head, one by its side and the last behind it with a stick, they traveled leagues apart. The tale grows quite fanciful, including an eagle larger than the bull, forty doctors who set sail in a man's eye, and a fox so large it was too big to be skinned on both sides. It also includes a riddle, which readers must solve.

Clever Ashik (retold by Dmitri Brudnyi) is the tale of a boy orphaned when he was small and taken in as a shepherd by a wealthy bei. The boy saved a frog, who blessed him in thanks with the gift of a magic pebble. To appease a neighboring khan, the boy solved a riddle (very like one in a Jewish folk tale called The Three Riddles) and outwitted him several times more, for which he was paid with a stay in the dungeon. How he got out is quite fantastic. But there the tale does not end. Ashik encountered still more adventures, in which he employed the devices of a fine Baba Yaga tale I know. This story, too, ends happily.

From Tajikistan come two tales--The Greedy Kazi and The Padishah's Daughter and the Young Slave--illustrated by Vladimir Serebrovsky, the chief artist at the Dushanbe's Aini Opera and Ballet Theater. The second tells of a young woman too haughty to consider any of the suitors who courted her. Despairing that he would never find a husband for her, the Padishah journeyed to other towns seeking a wise man to advise him. At last an old man who wrote fortunes on pebbles told him his daughter would marry a slave. Enraged, the Padishah ordered his slave beheaded. How the slave escaped him is all magic and delight.

The book closes with two Turkmen jewels, Yarty-Gulok and A Mountain of Gems, and a Kazakh tale, A bought Dream, handsomely illustrated by Kazakh artist Mendibai Alin.

I have read many folk tales, and many collections, and this one (despite its outdated title) is rich indeed. Alyssa A. Lappen

These essays -- by a roster of accomplished contemporary scholars of Russian Studies -- are wonderfully accesible and informative. Readers with interests in folk culture and history, Russian studies (history, literature, whatever) and/or culinary history will feel like they've struck gold. The thirteen scholarly pieces, some with a few illustrations, cover a wealth of topics (see table of contents above)-- consistently well. It's anything but dry; Pamela Chester's article on the relationship between (state-) tormented poets Marina Tsvetaeva and Osip Mandelstam (and their uses of food as symbol and, tragically, their deprivation of it, later) is heartbreaking. Peasantry, the gentry, and the Eastern Orthodox church; brilliant fussbudget Tolstoy's vegetarianism is in here; the uses of food in the writing of Dostoyevsky; fasting and food fashions; Catherine the Great (hardly any tastebuds; hearty interest in 'presentation'); the new Soviet state with its ambitious dreams for the citizenry, and the ultimate cynical mess that resulted. Food as power, class marker, moral symbol, and solace. The roots of asceticism (Orthodox church).Unfortunately, Jewish life and gulag life has been omitted, and a careful list of the prices of foodstuffs in St. Petersburg in Catherine's time is all rubles and kopeks... so I couldn't tell what I might have been able to afford.. What's here, though, is very good. I'll look for Volume 2.

I remember when i was about 7 my mom brought me home this book , i flipped throught the pages and loved the zany, colorful illustrations, i read it over and over and listened to the tape every night when i went to bed until the tape wore out.even though i am older now, i am looking foreward to reading this book again and keeping it for when i may have kids of my own. I think that this is a great book for any little kid to have and listen to, or even big kids (me), the story takes you through a strange and hillarious world, that is acompanied by ammusing illustrations. it is a great book for kids to read and listen to that will be sure to make them laugh. Definitly not your everyday childrens story, but one that is sure to be a instant favorite.

Have we met before? After the first two pages Sergej Dovlatov becomes your best friend, and it hurts to say good-bye at the end of the book... His books are witty (though, it IS black humour at times), intellegent and full of charm. But he`s dangerous: if you start reading the book you risk to neglect your daily business. Get this book, if you can, reading it is like talking to a good friend. And he`s so charming...

Just before the 1800s, a group of Mennonites emigrated from the Vistula Delta area to the Ukraine, where they established their own communities, with their religious freedoms guaranteed. These believers prospered in their new land, and the late 1800s became something of a golden age for them. One of their number was a photographer named Peter Gerhard Rempel. Rempel set up shop in the Chortitza Colony, and took many pictures. As with all golden ages, however, this one came to an end. In the chaos of World War I and the Russian Revolution, the fragile Mennonite communities were torn apart, their members fleeing to the New World. But Mr. Rempel never really did find himself at home in his new land, he always dreamed of that golden age in southern Russia, where it was forever summer and forever Sunday.

The text of this book is an excellent history of the Mennonites of southern Russia, giving a lot of good information on their closing days (my family had already left by that time). However, the real reason to get this book (if you are so lucky) is for the photos. They are of course black-and-white, but they provide a fascinating look into a life now lost. The pictures show a people who are wealthy, happy, and dressed in modern clothes. The pictures each have an informative description, but for some reason these were placed at the end of the book. That is really a minor complaint, though.

So, if you are interested in the Mennonites of southern Russia, then I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of this book. It really is one of the best resources I have ever seen.