A More Perfect Union by William Peters (March 1987) was a truly outstanding book. The author's intent was to provide the reader a genuine feeling of what went on in the closed-door sessions of the Constitutional Convention back in the summer of 1787. Based largely on James Madison's voluminous notes, Peters deftly elucidates the critical debates and coalitions that formed around them. For example, one compelling passage shows just how close we came to tying voting rights to property ownership - a sure recipe for the death of the new nation.

This book is great drama and reads like a novel. As the nation outgrew the Articles of Confederation and struggled to move ahead, this incredible group of bright minds hammered out a new and imperfect form of government. In hindsight the reader can see the irony. By creating a system of government in which ambition is truly checked by ambition - the Framers did, in fact, create near perfection. Precisely because the power of our government is fragmented, the US has flourished for 226 years. No one governmental body or person can completely quash the constitutional rights of all. Therefore, our citizens are free to think, compete, argue, protest and pursue their interests.

This is history made real. An entertaining and informative read!

I'm a junior in high school. Yet, I fondly remember reading this during middle school and enjoying it. It is a book accesible to adults, too. The language is very simple to understand, as well as the concepts it discusses. I suggest this book for a home library. ...

As an American who lived for the last 8 years in Moscow, this book was a wonderful find for me because it shows the great beauty found only indoors in Moscow -- a City that can be somewhat gray. From the baroque excesses of the Kremlin to the Art Nouveau town houses to the Soviet apartments of Moscow artists. Lavishly illustrated in a coffee table format.

When first considering the subject, the relations between the countries covered in Dr. Sodaro's book mights seem obscure, especially now with the end of the Cold War already a decade old. However, Dr. Sodaro's excellent book shows how these ties influence the whole continent and constitute a foundation of the events we see today. It's clearly written and a real treasure for specialist or generalist alike. Highly recommended!

Mr. Colton's range of depth in this comprehensive book is exemplary. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge on the subject of Moscow's development both during and after the Soviet Union. His writing is superb, with many illustrations, tables, and diagrams.

This book, "Moskovskaia Saga" ("Moscow Saga"), was published in the United States by Random House under the title "Generations of Winter". But if you are able to read in Russian, you would want to do it. This way you would understand it much deeper. This book will touch your heart.

For centuries many Christians have stood in separate camps proclaiming why this or that Church was the way of Truth. Braaten, as others have done, reminds us that Christians belong to one Church. The Church in which we now live, according to Braaten, is a provisional structure in that we must all reform and reconcile our divisions. The Church is Christ's work; the divisions are the works of humanity. In understanding and applying the hermeneutical, or interpretive roles of certain parts of the Church, such as office, literature, and ritual, perhaps we will come to realize the nature and expressions of the unity and truth of the Church. Continued cooperative investigation, in charity, for the Truth could be the most promising action for all Christians. The topic of the book is a work in progress, and the content of the book could serve as a fine map for the trek.

An indepth look at an Amazing personality and the conditions surrounding his times. Moshe Gammer has done justice to his subject matter.

David Brown's 'Musorgsky' appears in the Oxford University Press's 'The Master Musicians' series and replaces the older volume in that series started by M. D. Calvocoressi before his death in 1944 and finished by Gerald Abraham, published in 1946. There has been no major life-and-works of Modest Musorgsky (1839-1881) in English since then, although Richard Taruskin's scholarly 'Musorgsky,' intended for a narrower musicologically-informed audience, was published in 1992. This volume has musical examples and some reasonably detailed discussion of musical points in Musorgsky's works, but it is certainly not beyond the reach of the general reader.

Musorgsky's life is detailed throughout the book but there is little that is gossipy or speculative. Much more attention is paid to the origin and development of Musorgsky's art, with a clear exposition of musical and psychological influences by such figures are Dargomizhky, Glinka, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Alexander Serov, Vladimir Stasov and others. The lengthy, often obscure and confusing chronology of 'Boris Godunov' is set out logically and lucidly; Brown's exposition of its difficult gestation certainly cleared up some of my confusion in this regard. There is a good deal of explanation of how and where Musorgky cannibalized earlier works, inserting whole passages in the works by which he is now primarily known. There is a fascinating discussion of how he slowly developed his musical 'fingerprints,' with examples. Several chapters are devoted to the composition of his numerous and still undervalued songs. And we get psychologically and musically insightful chapters on 'Night on Bald Mountain' (more properly 'St. John's Night on Bare Mountain') and 'Pictures at an Exhibition.' The sad story of the inability to complete 'Khovanshchina' and 'Sorochintsy Fair' is told, along with the related heart-breaking drama of Musorgky's decline and death.

In Musorgsky's too-short life he wrote at least three undisputed popular masterpieces - 'Boris,' 'Night on Bare Mountain,' and 'Pictures'- and those who love these pieces, and others, owe it to themselves to become more familiar with the life of the man behind these favorites. This book provides the kind of framework that makes those works more alive for the listener.

Recommended.

Review by Scott Morrison

The year 2000 was particularly nice for me, in that Elly Govor, my Russian friend whom I had helped with English, had her second book launched. It was the best book launch I'd ever attended, and it made everybody a bit misty-eyed. The book is "My Dark Brother", and it's the story of the Illin family who migrated from Russia to Queensland, Australia, and marrying into the aboriginal community. What made the launch so very appealing was that some of the present Illins had come to Canberra for the occasion, and met, indeed, some of their relatives they had not seen. Elly's book had for the first time brought the history of the family to their notice. And Elly had really stumbled on the material whilst researching her first book, "Australia in the Russian Mirror". I had a long conversation with Glenda Illin, great-granddaughter of Nikolai. Glenda took a "package" from the Australian Government department where she worked and is thinking of moving to Canberra, Australia's capital. Written like a novel, My Dark Brother is a great read. UNSW Press. All history should be like that. Elly was kind enough to mention me ini the acknowlegments.