Wonderful synopsis of Russian and Eurasian history. This book provides a great summary for the world of Russia and other Eurasian states. A great read!

This book contains seventy-two black and white images of the former Soviet Union taken by Soviet photo jornalist, Lev Poliakov. Most of the photos were take in the 1960's although there are a few from the early 1970's. Most of them are both landscapes and portraits and generally show ordinary people doing ordinary things. My favorite photo of the book shows more than just ordinary activity. It is a 1970 photograph of a bearded man in swim trunks and a towel standing on the the frozen Neva River. The ice has been cut away, and the man is apparently drying himself off after dip in the frigid river. Watching him are three young children bundled up in scarves, hats, and heavy winter clothes. In the backgound of the image can be seen Leningrad's (now St Petersburg's) Winter Palace, Admiralty, and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Since I have two adopted children from Russia, I appreciate the honesty of Poliakov's images. So many books on Russia over emphasize the beautiful palaces, museums, and churches. Poliakov has found beauty in the ordinary and is able to present a more honest image of what was Russia. This book would be a great addition to the library of anyone with an interest in Russia.

This book represents a remarkably successful attempt to present the aviation elements of the numerous branches of the Russian armed forces and their equipment. Although detailed accounts of the latest Russian aircraft have been available for years, this lavishly illustrated volume succeeds in presenting these impressive aeronautical achievements in the context of the operational requirements and national strategy of Russia. Tactics and weapons are thoroughly discussed and major shortcomings, especially in training and maintanance are dealt with as well. The organisations themselves are presented in some detail; however, the reader who expects a detailed "order of battle" of these organisations will be disappointed.
The outstanding achievement of this volume is that it combines the russian perspective on airpower with some unknown aspects of Russian operations, e.g. Russian army UAVs, the two Chechen campaigns as well as fascinating future developements.

For the advanced young reader; numerous b/w photos (many full-page) illustratate complete contents. ".included are the stories of the three great Tchaikovsky ballets--Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker--with act-by-act synopses and little-known details for early as well as later performances. ..brief biography of Tchaikovsky. ..foreign ballet masters of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centruies, such as Lande, Didelot, Perrot, and Petipa, as well as the great native danacers and choreographers, Fokine, Nijinsky, Pavlova, and Balanchine."

I literally read this book twice. And as I turned the pages and saw breathtaking after breathtaking photograph and read the journalist's history of Russia, I kept reminding myself that this is not fiction. This books makes one pause and ponder ... a very long time.

I knew I had to pick buy this after I flipped through it at a book store. I have been half-heartedly searching for a couple years now for a book about Russian history that didn't focus on the 1917 revolution and the Cold War. Also, it's full of illustrations and sidebar articles that bring this subject to life. Just for interest reading, this book has been fascinating. From the Kievan Rus to the St. Petersburg czars, and all the interesting stuff in between like the Mongol invasions and Ivan the Terrible, is in here. It's a good light read, because it's not in lengthy novel form. It's my coffee table book.

Among the innumerable books and essays on the Russian Civil War, this is by far the best book to start with. It's reasonably short, very readable, has helpful maps, and an excellent bibliography. It's one of the few books to present a coherent, unified account of an extremely complex and messy historical episode. Best of all, Mawdsley, who is (or at least was until recently) a professional historian at the University of Glasgow, writes his book without basing it on any particular political viewpoint, whereas the great majority of books on the Russian Civil War have an axe to grind. In order to keep the book readable and reasonably short, Mawdsley omits a great deal of important information; for the reader who wants to delve further, Volume Two of William Henry Chamberlin's `The Russian Revolution, 1917 - 1921' originally published in 1934, is still the book to read next after Mawdsley.

Unfortunately, Mawdsley's book is out of print and seems to be hard to come by. However, a determined book search can locate a copy, or of course your local library can get a copy on interlibrary loan. I wish it was back in print.

If you are interested in the Russian Constructivist design movement, this the book for you!

Our friend from NYC has obviously never had the pleasure of education in Russian Cultures from Prof. Kalbouss himself. This energetic, intellectually stimulating, and wonderful individual has made Russian Culture interesting to literally thousands of students for over 30 years in the eduation arena. He has singlehandedly created the cultures course from scratch which is currently being utilized by universities all over the country. He has recently retired from teaching at The Ohio State University, but the impact he has made on the many who have enjoyed his class over the years, will likely not go unappreciated. Congratulations to George Kalbouss on the tireless contribution he has made to higher education! He will be missed.

The publisher (Berghahn Books) has done us a tremendous service by republishing these three classic works on Russia in one volume. I had been looking for them for some time and was amazed to see this new edition. They still arouse controversy because of the famous "swaddling hypothesis" stating that Russian psychology is related to specific child-rearing practices. This should not deter anyone from owning this classic work. There is so much more here about Russian life and culture--and from a period when no one was writing anything at all. The introduction by Sergei Arutiunov is also extremely interesting. Altogether a classy and essential publication. Now that we are getting to know Russia again, foreign policy types and students of Slavic culture should most certainly read this. Send a copy to Colin Powell for Christmas!