This book provides a comprehensive survey of Russia's tragic and glorious history: prehistoric Russia’s nomadic invaders; the rise of Muscovy with its colorful panopoly of rulers from Ivan Moneybags to Ivan the Terrible; the despotism of the Romanovs; the Russian Revolution and the rise and fall of the Soviet state; all the way to the present.
The Traveller's History series is designed for travellers who want more historical background on the country they are visiting than can be found in a tour guide. Each volume offers a complete and authoritative history of the country from the earliest times up to the present. A Gazetteer cross-referenced to the main text pin-points the historical importance of sights and towns. Illustrated with maps and line drawings, this literate and lively series makes ideal before-you-go reading, and is just as handy tucked into suitcase or backpack. A Traveller's History of Russia gives a comprehensive survey of that country's past from the earliest times up to the era of "perestroika" and the end of the Soviet Union, its devolution into 15 separate republics, the tragedy of the Chechen War, right through to the present.
For those who need more historical background information on a country that what can be found in a simple travel guide, this comprehensive survey of Russia and the USSR provides a welcome insight into this enigmatic country, from its earliest days to the times of perestroika and glasnost. Historical maps. A-Z Gazetteer. Illustrations.
A Dazzling Russian travelogue from the bestselling author of Great Plains In his astonishing new work, Ian Frazier, one of our greatest and most entertaining storytellers, trains his perceptive, generous eye on Siberia, the storied expanse of Asiatic Russia whose grim renown is but one explanation among hundreds for the region's fascinating, enduring appeal. In Travels in Siberia, Frazier reveals Siberia's role in history—its science, economics, and politics—with great passion and enthusiasm, ensuring that we'll never think about it in the same way again. With great empathy and epic sweep, Frazier tells the stories of Siberia's most famous exiles, from the well-known—Dostoyevsky, Lenin (twice), Stalin (numerous times)—to the lesser known (like Natalie Lopukhin, banished by the empress for copying her dresses) to those who experienced unimaginable suffering in Siberian camps under the Soviet regime, forever immortalized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago. Travels in Siberia is also a unique chronicle of Russia since the end of the Soviet Union, a personal account of adventures among Russian friends and acquaintances, and, above all, a unique, captivating, totally Frazierian take on what he calls the "amazingness" of Russia—a country that, for all its tragic history, somehow still manages to be funny. Travels in Siberia will undoubtedly take its place as one of the twenty-first century's indispensable contributions to the travel-writing genre.
Excerpt from A Handbook for Travellers in Russia, Poland, and Finland The reigns that followed the period of Russian history are distinguished by little else than continual civil wars for the possession Of the throne of Kief, but' m 1158 the town of Vladimir became the capital instead Of Kief. In 1224, the Russian people were for the first time threatened with an invasion of the Mongols, whose leader, Chinghiz Khan, after subjecting the cities and ple of Central Asia to his sway, had sent, in about 1223, a portion Of Ishordes to take possession of the west coast of the Caspian, whence they pushed on to the banks Of the Dnieper. The Polovtsi, who had' in vain endeavoured to arrest the progress Of the horde, were at length constrained to apply for assistance to their hitherto inveterate foes, the Russian princes, and, the cause being now made common, the Russians made an intrepid stand on the banks Of the Khalka, near the present. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
