Ainu, Spirit of a Northern People  •  William Fitzhugh ARCHAEOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A magnificently illustrated, handsomely produced overview of Ainu history, art and culture. Dozens of experts contributed to this companion volume to the Smithsonian exhibition, edited by William Fitzhugh. (JPN101, $49.95)
Alaska, An American Colony  •  Stephen Haycox HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 372 PAGES An engaging, scholarly history, neatly divided into Russian exploration and the American period. The author is a professor of history at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. The book takes as its theme the economic exploitation of the state and fate of the indigenous people of the region through Russian and American exploitation and colonization. (ALA160, $18.95)
American Traveler, The Life and Adventures of John Ledyard, the Man Who Dreamed of Walking the World  •  James Zug EXPLORATION •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 277 PAGES The biography an intrepid early American soul, and friend of Jefferson, who sailed with James Cook, trekked across Siberia and was among the first Americans to visit Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. (WLD54, $25.00)
Arctic Dreams, Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape  •  Barry Lopez NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 417 PAGES • FAVORITE One of the best books we've read on any destination, this celebrated meditation on the Arctic draws on Lopez's travels throughout the North, including Baffin Island, Siberia and Greenland. A dazzling writer and compassionate observer, Lopez weaves biology and history into his storytelling, including extended chapters on the polar bear and narwhal. (ARC11, $15.00)
Arctic Superstars  •  William Putnam EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES An American Alpine Club centennial celebration of two of it's original honorary members, both Arctic explorers: Adolphus Washington Greely and George Wallace Melville. Greeley, a career army officer, established Fort Conger on Ellesmere Island. Greeley is also the subject of Ghosts of Cape Sabine, The Harrowing True Story of the Greely Expedition. Melville, a navy man, sailed with George W. De Long aboard the ill-fated Jeanette, trapped in the ice. Melville was aboard the Navy ship that rescued the surviving members of the Greely expedition. (ARC144, $19.95)
Art of Siberia  •  Valentina Gorbatcheva ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES • COMING IN DECEMBER An illustrated account of the art produced by the wide-ranging, diverse peoples of Siberia. (SIB60, $39.95)
The Birds of Heaven, Travels With Cranes  •  Peter Matthiessen  •  Robert Bateman NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES • COMING IN Matthiessen traveled with the cranes to Siberia, Japan, Mongolia, North America, China, Bhutan, East Africa, Australia, India and Texas for this handsomely illustrated, informative book. Organizing the book geographically, he interweaves his travels with insightful commentary on the conservation, ecology, and the significance of the crane in art and culture. With color paintings by Robert Bateman. (BRD11, $16.00)
Clara's Grand Tour, Travels With a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-century Europe  •  Glynis Ridley HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES The entertaining history of a most unusual eighteenth-century European celebrity. Clara the Indian rhinoceros was brought to Europe in 1741 by the Dutch sea captain Douwemout Van der Meer, and toured for seventeen years, to the delight of heads of state such as Louis XV and Frederick the Great. A marvelous and unique look at the introduction of Eastern wildlife into the Western world. (FRN536, $12.00)
Coming into the Country  •  John McPhee CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1976 •  PAPER  • 438 PAGES • FAVORITE An outstanding portrayal of frontier life in Alaska circa 1976, this is among the finest of this gifted writer's works. Beautifully written, it's an even-handed look at environmental issues, as well as a hilarious portrait of some unforgettable Alaskan characters. Originally published in "The New Yorker." (ALA04, $17.00)
Commonwealth of Independent States Map  •  Freytag & Berndt MAP A double-sided map of the entire CIS, divided into Western Russia (at a scale of 1:2,000,000 and eastern Russia (1:8,000,000). The map of Western Russia is the same plate as that for Eastern Europe (Item EUR36). (RUS133, $12.95)
A Concise History of the Russian Revolution  •  Peter Dimock  •  Richard Pipes HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 431 PAGES A scholarly analysis of the Russian revolution by Harvard Scholar Richard Pipes, from the events that catalyzed the revolution, to its conclusion and aftermath. Includes glossary, chronology, and photographs of important players of the Revolution. (RUS98, $17.00)
Culture Smart! Russia, A Quick Guide to Customs and Etiquette  •  Anna King GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 168 PAGES A concise, no-nonsense guide to local customs, etiquette and culture with a short overview of the land and people along with practical travel advice. (RUS361, $9.95)
The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Empire: Forty Years that Shook the World, from Stalin to Yeltsin  •  Fred Coleman HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES Having spent three years in Russia as a correspondent for the Associate Press, Coleman provides an insightful account of post-Stalin Russia. Coleman's main argument is that the disintegration of communism was inevitable with the death of Stalin. He also argues that the US overestimated Soviet power and Western influences could have facilitated the fall of the Soviet Union, prior to 1990. (RUS97, $19.95)
Doctor Zhivago  •  Boris Pasternak  •  Max Hayward  •  Manya Harari LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 592 PAGES This epic story of life and love -- set against the backdrop of the first half of the 20th century -- takes in both World Wars and the Revolution. Banned in Russia upon publication in the 1950s, it was later made into the classic film by David Lean. (RUS222, $15.95)
Empire and Odyssey: The Brynners in Far East Russia and Beyond  •  Rock Brynner HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 348 PAGES Rock Brynner, the son of movie star Yul (best known for his Academy Award-winning role as the Siamese emperor in The King and I), traces his family history back to his great-grandfather Jules, a Swiss merchant living in East Asia, and follows the history through four generations of life in the Russian Far East, Europe and Central Asia. (RUS287, $29.95)
Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse  •  Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin  •  Vladimir Nabokov LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 362 PAGES In this translation of Pushkin's epic poem set in 19th-century Russia, the great novelist Nabokov brings the spark of Pushkin's original words to life. (RUS290, $22.95)
Farewell to Matyora  •  Valentin Rasputin  •  Antonina Bouis  •  Kathleen Parthe LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 227 PAGES A classic novel by Valentin Rasputin, the acclaimed Siberian writer and environmentalist who advocates a return to traditional, rural ways of life. (SIB22, $16.00)
First Fish, First People, Salmon Tales of the North Pacific Rim  •  Meg McHutchinson  •  Judith Roche  •  One Reel ANTHOLOGY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 204 PAGES An anthology of essays, poems and histories by a pan-Pacific cast of writers whose various cultures -- including Ainu (Japan), Coast Salish (British Columbia), Spokane (Washington) and Ulchi (Siberia) -- have traditionally identified with the salmon. It's a lovely book, illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs, and made the more poignant by the salmon's decline in the coastal regions. (PNW116, $24.95)
From Nyet to Da: Understanding the Russians  •  Yale Richmond CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 219 PAGES A cultural portrait of the Russians for the traveler, covering Russia's geography and culture, character, state and society. With chapters on "Personal Encounters" and "Negotiating with Russians." Richmond is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer who spent 20 years in Russia. (RUS96, $23.95)
God Lives in St. Petersburg, and Other Stories  •  Tom Bissell LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 212 PAGES Bissell (Chasing the Sea) returns to his years in Central Asia as a Peace Corps volunteer in these sharp, witty fictionalized accounts. His six fast-paced tales are set in Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and the Aral Sea. (CAS117, $13.95)
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral  •  Robert A. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 307 PAGES Scott, whose interest in the history of cathedrals began when he first saw the magnificent Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England, takes his reader on a historical, architectural and sociological tour of the magnificent spires and stained-glass windows that dot the landscape of Europe. It's an accessible, personable overview. (EUR190, $17.95)
The Great Railway Bazaar, By Train through Asia  •  Paul Theroux TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES Theroux's vintage 1970s journeys across Asia by Train, displaying all his talent for portraiture, ego and the dismissive aside. It's great fun. He takes every two-bit train he can find from London across Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, India, Japan and China, returning home via the Trans-Siberian Express. (ASA40, $14.95)
The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: Vol. I  •  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  •  Thomas Whitney LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 672 PAGES A masterpiece of literature and history, this novel documents the horrors of Russia's prison system under communism. Based on Solzhenitsyn's first-hand experiences, it is a powerful and unforgettable work of suffering and redemption. This is the first volume in "The Gulag Archipelago" trilogy. (RUS113, $21.95)
The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: Vol. II  •  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  •  Thomas Whitney LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 712 PAGES A masterpiece of literature and history, this novel documents the horrors of Russia's prison system under communism. Based on Solzhenitsyn's first-hand experiences, it is a powerful and unforgettable work of suffering and redemption. This is the second (and by some considered the best) in "The Gulag Archipelago" trilogy. (RUS74, $21.95)
The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: Vol. III  •  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  •  Thomas Whitney LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 570 PAGES A masterpiece of literature and history, this novel documents the horrors of Russia's prison system under communism. Based on Solzhenitsyn's first-hand experiences, it is a powerful and unforgettable work of suffering and redemption. This is the third volume in "The Gulag Archipelago" trilogy. (RUS114, $21.95)
Gulag, A History  •  Anne Applebaum HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 677 PAGES A massive, fascinating and thoroughly unsettling history of Russia's infamous gulags by Anne Applebaum, noteworthy for its expansive view, effortless prose and prodigious research. Instituted in the aftermath of the Revolution and expanded during the reign of Stalin, this system of prison camps was simultaneously the Soviet Union's darkest secret and their greatest industrial asset. Millions died and millions more slaved in mines and factories. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. (SIB34, $16.95)
Hell on Ice, The Saga of the Jeanette  •  Edward Ellsberg EXPLORATION •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 421 PAGES A dramatic fictionalized account of the fateful 1879 Jeannette expedition to the North Pole, as told through the eyes of chief engineer George Wallace Melville. First published in 1938, the vivid tale was adapted as a radio broadcast by Orson Welles for the Mercury Theater (who famously went on to produce War of the Worlds). This limited edition includes a CD of the memorable radio play. The outspoken Ellsberg, who attained the rank of Rear Admiral, was a noted navy salvage expert, diver, and prolific author. (ARC138, $27.95)
Here Is Where We Meet  •  John Berger LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES This novel weaves a portrait of several European countries through encounters with the dead, from the narrator's mother, whom he discovers on a park bench in Lisbon, to a childhood friend wandering a market in Krakow. "The dead don't stay where they are buried," the protagonist's mother tells him, and this becomes the mantra for this most unusual journey through Europe's history and people. (EUR189, $14.00)
The History of Russia  •  John Lawrence HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A concise popular history of Russia from its pagan roots through the Tsarist period, revolution and post-Soviet realities. Seventh edition. (RUS289, $17.00)
House of the Dead  •  Fyodor Dostoevsky  •  David McDuff LITERATURE •  1986 •  PAPER  • 362 PAGES Dostoyevsky's semi-autobiographical novel of a man forced to endure ten years in a Siberian prison for the murder of his wife. Accused as a political subversive, Dostoyevsky himself spent four years in a prison camp. (RUS261, $12.00)
Ice Window: Letters from a Bering Strait Village, 1892- 1902  •  Kathleen Lopp Smith  •  Verbeck Smith BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 488 PAGES A chronicle of daily life, customs and struggles on the Bering Strait at the turn of the century. With 350 letters, more than 90 period photographs, maps, drawings from the letters, and reproductions of the five issues of "The Eskimo Bulletin, " as edited by the granddaughter of Ellen Kittredge and Thomas Lopp, two Christian teachers in a small village facing Little Diomede on the Bering Strait in Northwest Alaska. (ALA152, $45.00)
In the Land of White Death, An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic  •  Valerian Albanov  •  David Roberts  •  Jon Krakauer EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 243 PAGES A spare account of Albanov's 90-day trek over the open pack to Cape Flora. After drifting helplessly north for over a year, Albanov and ten colleagues abandon ship, and set out on foot for Franz Josef Land with a sledge, makeshift boat -- and only the map from the endpaper of Nansen's Farthest North. Of the original crew of the "Saint Anna," only Albanov and one colleague survived the ordeal. Originally published in 1917 and translated here for the first time into English. (SIB16, $14.95)
In the Soviet House of Culture, A Century of Perestroikas  •  Bruce Grant HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 225 PAGES A study of the Nivkhi people of Sakhalin Island and their experince under the Soviet Union. (RUS76, $27.95)
Irkutsk, Lake Baikal Map  •  Russian Government MAP • COMING IN A city map of Irkutsk, with an odd map of Lake Baikal (but not the surrounding roads or topography). Published in Irkutsk, key place names are transliterated with some features in Cyrillic only. Travel information is presented in Cyrillic and English. (SIB17, $10.00)
Islands of the Arctic  •  Julian Dowdeswell  •  Michael Hambrey NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 280 PAGES A nicely illustrated overview of the physical geography of the Arctic, especially the role of glaciers and ice in shaping the land and history of northern islands across the Arctic from the Canadian Archipelago, Greenland and Svalbard to the Russian Arctic. The authors, glaciologists both, have worked throughout the circumpolar north with 40 years of field work between them. With 242 color photographs by the authors, illustrating a wide variety of Arctic phenomena, including glaciation, frost action, sea ice, coastal features, and life of the icy seas and tundra. The book concludes with chapters on human habitation and the future of the Arctic. (ARC122, $50.00)
Journey into the Mind's Eye  •  Leslie Blanch BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES In this gorgeous book, first published in 1968 and subtitled Fragments of a Biography, Blanch writes of her obsession with all things Russian, the mysterious Russian figure of her youth she calls The Traveller, and of her journey to confront her past. It's a quest, travelogue and love story, in which Blanch's Russian romance unfolds against the backdrop of Siberia. (SIB47, $33.95)
The Karluk's Last Voyage  •  Capt. Robert Bartlett EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 378 PAGES A personal account of the Karluk expedition by its captain, who set out for help with an Eskimo colleague after the ship was crushed in the ice. Bartlett went on to lead another 17 expeditions into the Ice, never again losing a man. The record of explorer and scientific leader Stefansson, who blamed Bartlett for the tragedy, is not nearly as good. (ARC129, $18.95)
The Last Imaginary Place  •  Robert McGhee BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2007 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES In this wide-ranging portrait of the Arctic, McGhee combines a lifetime of archaeological field work, history and travel, touching on whalers and ivory-hunters, explorers, fur-traders, Viking farmers and, most particularly, the native peoples in a series of illuminating essays. With 37 black-and-white illustrations, 31 color photographs and nine maps. Published in conjunction with the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where McGhee is curator of Arctic archaeology. (ARC164, $18.00)
The Last Voyage of Captain Cook: The Collected Writings of John Ledyard  •  James Zug BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 266 PAGES This volume, edited by Ledyard-biographer James Zug, gathers his single travel book along with the best of his journals and letters. Ledyard sailed with Captain Cook, formed a fur-trading company with John Paul Jones, and planned a walking trip across America with Thomas Jefferson decades before Lewis and Clark. (RUS354, $16.00)
Libby: The Alaskan Diaries and Letters of Libby Beaman, 1879-1880  •  Libby Beaman  •  Betty John BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 206 PAGES • FAVORITE The engrossing memoir of an American woman who accompanied her husband to Alaska's Pribilof Islands in 1879, just after American acquisition of the region. Libby was the first non-native woman to live on St. Paul, which lies just south of the Arctic Circle in the Bering Sea. As edited by Libby's granddaughter, the book is a plainly told and wonderfully evocative tale of a pioneering life in remote Alaska -- with much attention paid to the natural history of the Pribilof Islands. From her storm-bound arrival at St. Paul to her reception by the local population to her near-death of cold and malnutrition, it's a great story. (ARC07, $16.95)
Literary Russia, A Guide  •  Anna Benn  •  Rosamund Bartlett GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 528 PAGES Back in print! Organized geographically, this guide and literary companion includes the homes, museums and literary landmarks of Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Nabokov and other Russian masters. (RUS45, $37.50)
Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian Railway  •  Simon Richmond GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A guide to the railway and, especially, stops en route from Vladivostok to Moscow it in the hallmark Lonely Planet style. With 35 sketch maps covering routes and major cities, a section of color-photos, and a brief language guide. We still like Bryn Thomas's classic (and often revised) guide (RUS73) but this isn't a bad first try for Lonely Planet. Get both of them. With chapters on the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian sections of the railway. (SIB26, $19.99)
The Long Walk, The True Story of a Trek to Freedom  •  Slavomir Rawicz BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  PAPER  • 245 PAGES The remarkable tale of cavalry officer Rawicz and six fellow prisoners, who escaped from a Siberian gulag and trekked across the taiga to freedom. It's an astonishing tale of strength and determination. These men, already in poor condition in Yakutsk, manage to sustain themselves on foot over 4,000 miles of barren land and mountains. (SIB13, $16.95)
The Making of John Ledyard: Empire and Ambition in the Life of an Early American Traveler  •  G. Edward Gray BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2007 •  HARD COVER (RUS353, $35.00)
The Memoirs of Catherine the Great  •  Catherine the Great  •  Mark Cruse  •  Hilde Hoogenboom BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES Catherine The Great's rule lasted from 1762 until her death in 1796; this collection of her memoirs begins some years before, upon her arrival in Russia as a German princess in 1744. An intimate insight into the life of the world-renowned ruler and her often uneasy adjustment to the world of Russian royalty. (RUS277, $26.95)
Monster of God: The Man Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind  •  David Quammen NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES In tracking the alpha predators, Quammen transports us to four of the world's great wild regions: the Gir forest in India, the Russian Far East, the coast of northern Australia and the mountains of Romania. Much like in his award-winning Song of the Dodo, Quammen combines scholarly insight, vivid prose and travel in this latest effort, a marvelous meditation on Indian lions, Australian crocodiles, European brown bears and Siberian tigers, man-eaters all. (BST84, $15.95)
Once Upon the River Lore  •  Andrei Makine  •  Geoffrey Strachan LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES In this richly evocative novel, three boys growing up in a Siberian backwater in the 1970's have their lives changed by watching a film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Looking back after 30 years, the novel follows its characters from the taiga to New York and Central America. (SIB45, $24.95)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich  •  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  •  H. T. Willetts LITERATURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 182 PAGES The poignant story of an inmate in one of Stalin's Siberian labor camps struggling to maintain his dignity under the oppression of a Communist prison. This short novel became an overnight classic, still resonant today as Russia buries the corpse of Stalinism that refuses to die. This is the unexpurgated translation, authorized by Solzhenitsyn after a relaxation of censorship. (RUS26, $13.00)
The Portable Chekhov  •  Avrahm Yarmolinsky  •  Anton Chekhov LITERATURE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 634 PAGES The Viking Portable Library features a good selection of stories and plays, including "The Kiss," "Daydreams," and "The Peasants. " Translated by Avrahm Yarmolinsky. (RUS99, $18.00)
Russia and the Russians, A History  •  Geoffrey Hosking HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 768 PAGES This ambitious history, the latest by a leading British University scholar, tackles with clarity the scope and breadth of the Russian empire from its Kievan beginnings through Imperial expansion, revolution and the Soviet period all the way to the 21st century. Hosking takes as his focus the Russian character, paying special attention to non-Russian ethnic groups scattered across Eurasia. This book follows and expands on Hosking's Russia: People and Empire, 1552-1917. (RUS208, $23.00)
Russia, Experiment With a People  •  Robert Service HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 406 PAGES An authoritative survey of the transformation of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, organized thematically. Service casts a wide net, looking at not just political and economic change but also the influence of society, culture and belief. (RUS284, $20.00)
The Russian Far East and Pacific Asia, Unfulfilled Potential  •  Michael J. Bradshaw HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 294 PAGES Bradshaw offers a comprehensive analysis of the resources, economy and political situation of the Russian Far East, concluding with scenarios for the future development of the RFE. (RUS355, $170.00)
A Russian Journal  •  John Steinbeck  •  Robert Capa TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES During the Cold War, amidst an abundance of paranoia, Steinbeck and Capa decided to gather un-propagandized information on the Russian way of life by traveling to the other side of the Iron Curtain. This is the result of their reporting project, an honest account of the people and everyday life, with striking photographs by the great Robert Capa. (RUS275, $15.00)
Russian Short Stories  •  Robert Chandler LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 396 PAGES • NEW Part of the Penguin Classics series, this anthology brings together literature from the most important Russian writers of the last two centuries, including well-known authors like Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Chekhov and Tolstoy and lesser-known greats like Zoshchenko (a Soviet satirist), Teffi (a female humorist who escaped after the October Revolution) and Varlam Shalamov (a Gulag survivor). (RUS288, $17.00)
Sacred Sea, A Journey to Lake Baikal  •  Peter Thomson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 400 PAGES Thomson blends personal tales with anecdote, environmental reporting, natural history and culture in this lyrical account of a six-month journey. (SIB56, $29.95)
Seals and Sea Lions of the World  •  Nigel Bonner FIELD GUIDE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 224 PAGES An accessible, comprehensive overview of the pinnipeds. With wit and grace, Bonner outlines the evolutionary history, biology and ecology and behavior of seals, sea lions and walruses. Five chapters are devoted to a species-by-species account, superbly illustrated. The last chapters tackle the complex and sometimes controversial issues of the relationship of seals and humans. (FG05, $35.00)
Shamanic Worlds: Rituals and Lore of Siberia and Central Asia  •  Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer RELIGION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 260 PAGES An ethnographic account of Shamanism in Siberia and Central Asia with contributions by Russian researchers in the region. It includes chapters on Tuvan shamanic folklore, Evenk rituals and healing techniques, and religious practices among Turkic peoples of Siberia. (SIB18, $27.95)
Shamans Through Time: 500 Year on the Path to Knowledge  •  Jeremy Narby  •  Francis Huxley RELIGION •  2004 •  PAPER  • 354 PAGES An anthology of observations and writings on Shamanism from the 16th-century to modern day. The compilation offers a wide variety of views on the Shaman, religion and culture. (GEN202, $14.95)
Shanar, Dedication Ritual of Buryat Shaman in Siberia  •  Virlana Tkacz  •  Sayan Zhambalov  •  Wanda Phipps  •  Alexander Khantaev  •  Dashinima Dugarov RELIGION •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES Recorded by three translators of Buryat poetry, this is an intimate account of a dedication ceremony among the shamans of Buryatia, a region of Siberia located near Lake Baikal. The text is considerably enhanced by 175 color photographs depicting the step-by-step process of performing the rituals. (SIB32, $39.95)
Siberia and the Exile System, Volume 1  •  George Kennan HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 428 PAGES Kennan, the author of Tent Life in Siberia, traveled back to the Russian Far East in 1891 -- the year that construction began on the Trans-Siberian Railroad --to study Russia's exile and penal system. This is the first volume of his report. (SIB57, $37.50)
Siberia and the Exile System, Volume 2  •  George Kennan HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 592 PAGES Kennan, the author of Tent Life in Siberia, traveled back to the Russian Far East in 1891 -- the year that construction began on the Trans-Siberian Railroad --to study Russia's exile and penal system. This is the second volume of his report. (SIB58, $37.50)
Siberia on Fire: Stories and Essays  •  Valentin Rasputin CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1990 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES Six stories and six essays on Siberia's land, spirit, and people by Rasputin, an acknowledged modern Soviet master. A resident of Irkutsk, Rasputin combines great insight with supple prose and passion for his homeland in both his fiction and non-fiction. Translated and introduced by Gerald Mikkelson and Margaret Mitchell, the collection includes essays of Baikal and Irkutsk. (SIB04, $18.00)
Siberia, Siberia  •  Valentin Rasputin EXPLORATION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 443 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A sweeping account of the exploration, conquest and colonization of Russia's "West," beginning with the crossing of the Ural Mountains by the Cossacks in 1580. Six areas of Siberia are examined, including Lake Baikal and Irkutsk. Invaluable for its perspective of the history, ecology and traditions of Siberia, this lyrical book was written by one of Russia's great post-Stalin writers, second in importance only to Solzhenitsyn. Admirably translated into English for the first time, the book is a tribute to Siberia -- and a call for its salvation, full of profound sadness over the waste of such a beautiful, natural refuge. (SIB01, $22.95)
Siberian BAM Railway Guide: Rails, Rivers & Road  •  Athol Yates  •  Nicholas Zvegintzov GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES This revised guide covers not just the Baikal-Amur Mainline section of the railroad but also where to stay, and what to see and do in all of north-east Russia. It's an excellent handbook to the region in the Trail Blazer series. With kilometer by kilometer strip maps covering the 3400 km rail trip from the Pacific Ocean to Lake Baikal. Not completed until 1990, the railroad crosses three mountain ranges, and threads through the watersheds of the great Lena, Amur, and Yenisei rivers. (SIB27, $23.95)
Siberian Curse, How Communist Planners Left Russia Out in the Cold  •  Fiona Hill  •  Clifford Gaddy HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES In this provacative analysis of Russia's economic future, Hill and Gaddy argue that the enormous, failing cities of Siberia built during the communist era are a burden. Nine of the world's 10 coldest cities with a population of a million or more are in Russia (the other is Ottowa). (SIB42, $20.95)
The Sun Maiden and the Crescent Moon, Siberian Folk Tales  •  James Riordan LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 205 PAGES A collection of tales from throughout Siberia, divided thematically, and with an excellent introduction by James Riordan. Many of the stories feature the harsh setting of the tundra and importance of the spirit. (SIB12, $11.95)
Syann am! Tuvan Folk Tales  •  Kira Van Deusen  •  Alexei Sedipkov LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 50 PAGES An entertaining collection of eight Tuvan tales, as related by a storyteller and ethnographer. With illustrations by Tuvan artist Alexiei Sepipkov, the book is a fanciful introduction to the traditional stories of the region, enjoyable for all ages. (SIB21, $9.95)
Tigers in the Snow  •  Peter Matthiessen  •  Maurice Hornocker NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 185 PAGES A lyrical tribute to the Siberian Tiger by Peter Matthiessen. He writes movingly of tigers, their dwindling habitat and the people devoted to studying them. With color photographs, line drawings and an introduction by Hornocker (Track of the Tiger, BST19), founder of the Siberian Tiger Project. (SIB10, $15.00)
Track of the Tiger, Legend and Lore of the Great Cat  •  Maurice Hornocker NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 120 PAGES A celebration of the tiger, this handsome book edited by Siberian tiger biologist Maurice Hornocker presents thoughtful short essays by conservationists and 75 color photographs. (BST19, $30.00)
Trans-Siberian Handbook  •  Bryn Thomas GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A compact guide and history of the Trans-Siberian, featuring maps and practical details for cities and sights from St. Petersburg to Irkutsk, Ulan Bator, Beijing and Vladivostok. With 50 maps and 30 color photos. Excerpts from the book and others in the British series are online at www.trailblazer-guides.com. (RUS73, $19.95)
Tuva or Bust! Richard Feynman's Last Journey  •  Ralph Leighton TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 260 PAGES A humorous account of eccentric Noble Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman and his good friend -- and their obsessive quest for Tuva. They were originally inspired by its remote location in Central Asia, intriguing diamond-shaped stamps that Feyman remembered from his childhood, and the name of its capital, Kyzyl. (SIB20, $13.95)
A Woman's Asia  •  Marybeth Bond ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES These thirty-five personal, often hilarious accounts of women's adventures from China to Sri Lanka to Turkey to Bhutan, not only illuminating the everyday, oft-overlooked cultural practices of Asia, but also giving a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the female traveller. Featuring selections from Jan Morris, Pamela Logan and Alison Wright. (ASA49, $17.95)
A Year With a Whaler  •  Walter Noble Burns EXPLORATION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 250 PAGES Responding to a newspaper ad in 1890, Walter Noble Burns shipped out from San Francisco on a whaling expedition aboard the bark Alexander to the Chukchi and Bering Seas. He documents a way of life and time long gone in this new edition. (OCE101, $17.95)