101 Stories of the Great Ballets  •  George Balanchine  •  Francis Mason REFERENCE •  1975 •  PAPER  • 541 PAGES Scene-by-scene retellings of the most popular ballets from the man who revolutionized the art. Includes production notes, summaries and personal comments for various productions of each ballet. (GEN262, $17.95)
The 900 Days, The Siege of Leningrad  •  Harrison Salisbury HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 640 PAGES Salisbury's detailed account of the Nazi blockade of Leningrad (now St Petersburg). During the siege, the only open route to the city lay across Lake Ladoga, where supplies could be driven on an ice road to the starving city in the winter. Lake Ladoga is included on river voyages between Moscow and St. Petersburg. (RUS235, $27.00)
Alexander Pushkin, The Collected Stories  •  Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin LITERATURE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 548 PAGES An expanded collection of Pushkin's tales, including The Captain's Daughter, The Queen of Spades, Tales of Belkin, and many shorter works. With a long introduction by John Bayley and chronology. Translated and presented by Paul Debreczeny. (RUS196, $21.00)
All the Views Fit to Print, Changing Images of the U.S. In Pravda Political Cartoons, 1917-1991  •  Kevin J. McKenna HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Arranged chronologically, this scholarly book dissects Russian political cartoons and their depictions of America. It's an interesting study of the propaganda war waged throughout the 20th century. (RUS179, $49.95)
The Amber Room, The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure  •  Adrian Levy  •  Catherine Scott-Clark HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES Two investigative journalists on the trail of a roomful of amber from the days of Peter the Great, missing since the Siege of Leningrad in 1941. Scott-Clark and Levy have also written a book on the search for prized Burmese jade (The Stone of Heaven). (RUS244, $16.00)
Among the Russians  •  Colin Thubron TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES The marvelous account of a 10,000-mile journey by car from St. Petersburg and the Baltic States south to Georgia and Armenia in 1981. A gifted writer and intrepid traveler, Thubron grapples with the complex Russian identity in this lyrical book, first published as "Where Nights are Longest." Thubron combines his encounters with the interesting characters he meets with Russian history, politics and insightful commentary. Highly recommended. (RUS106, $14.00)
Anna Karenina  •  Leo Tolstoy  •  Larissa Volokhonsky  •  Richa Pevear LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 838 PAGES Tolstoy's tragic love story of the beautiful, but married Anna, and her passionate affair with the dashing Count Vronsky. An adulterous relationship in late 19th Century Russia is not without its harsh consequences -- Anna loses her family and is ostracized by those around her in a social downfall. Interwoven with the story of Konstantin Levin and Princess Kitty Shcerbatsky, this epic work is a timeless novel of desire, weakness, and the search for love. (RUS81, $16.00)
Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana  •  Stephanie Elizondo Griest BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES The offbeat memoirs of a native Texan who spent four years as a volunteer in Moscow, a propaganda officer in Beijing, and a belly dancer in Havana. You may have come across Griest's distinctive voice in a collection of Travelers' Tales, where she is a regular contributor. She's young, a witty observer with a way with words, and utterly passionate about travel. This is her first book, as much memoir as travel account, spanning four years and three continents. (RUS242, $14.95)
The Art and Architecture of Russia  •  George Hamilton  •  Judith Gordon ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 482 PAGES An informed, engaging and comprehensive history of the art and architecture of Western Russia from the beginnings of Kievan Rus through the revolution and Russian empire, first published in 1954. It includes a splendid discussion of the development of St. Petersburg in the 18th and 19th centuries. Organized largely by geography, it's a good handbook for the traveler that goes beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg to include Kiev, Novgorod, Pskov and Vladimir-Suzdal. With 314 black-and-white illustrations. (RUS38, $32.00)
The Art of the Russian Matryoshka  •  Rett Ertl ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 225 PAGES A thoroughly illustrated portrait of the wooden nesting dolls of Russia. Includes a glossary of Russian and English terms. (RUS323, $49.95)
Balanchine, A Biography  •  Bernard Taper BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1996 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES Taper sorts out the controversial legacy of the legendary choreographer in this study of his life. A newly added epilogue to this reprint of the original 1984 work examines how ballet been affected by Balanchine's death. (RUS193, $29.95)
Ballet 101, A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet  •  Robert Greskovic REFERENCE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 512 PAGES A comprehensive, well-written primer to getting the most out of your trip to the ballet. Aimed at alleviating the intimidation often associated with the ballet, dance critic Robert Greskovic offers readers an excellent digest of the art. He includes an account of ballet's international history, a dancer's training, the logistics of performance and a detailed look at 12 influential ballets. (GEN263, $16.95)
The Ballets Russes and Its World  •  Lynn Garafola CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 420 PAGES A gorgeously illustrated collection of essays on the history and influence of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. by 14 contributing writers. With lavish illustrations and an extensive bibliography. (RUS252, $60.00)
The Baltic Revolution, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Path to Independence  •  Anatol Lieven HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 454 PAGES Lieven explores the culture and personality of the Baltic peoples, their religious and national differences and relations with Russia and the West. Written by a London Times correspondent who interweaves interviews, observations and history to reveal post-Glasnost Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. (BLT02, $32.50)
Belarus, At a Crossroads in History  •  Jan Zaprudnik HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 278 PAGES A history of Belarus, with a focus on the status of the nation as the Soviet Union crumbled. (RUS123, $32.00)
Belorussia, Western Russia, Ukraine, North Map  •  GeoCenter MAP A map of Belarus, the northern Ukraine and Western Russia at a scale of 1:750,000. (RUS137, $11.95)
Black Earth, A Journey Through Russia After the Fall  •  Andrew Meier TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 511 PAGES Meier, a journalist who covered Russia for "Time" from 1996-2001, ventures far outside the Kremlin gates for this account of typical Russians since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He focuses his report on South, North, East and West: war-torn Chechnya; the industrial northern city of Norilisk; the forgotten island of forgotten Sakhalin; and progressive St. Petersburg. An insightful portrait much in the spirit of David Remnick's "Resurrection." (RUS213, $28.95)
Black Night White Snow, Russia's Revolutions 1905-1917  •  Harrison Salisbury HISTORY •  1977 •  PAPER  • 746 PAGES A correspondent for the "New York Times" and the author of several fine books on Russia, Salisbury surveys the poets, prophets and religious fanatics that peopled this momentous era of Russian history. The book is an evocative, moving account of one of the great political tragedies of the 20th century -- brought to life in colorful detail. It begins with the execution of Lenin's brother for the attempted assassination of Tsar Alexander III, and goes on to paint a vivid picture of the fatal crush of the crowds at Tsar Nicolas II's coronation, Bloody Sunday, the abdication of the tsar, the storming of the Winter Palace in the October Revolution, the Communist takeover, and the first days of the emerging Soviet Union. (RUS12, $16.95)
Black Sea  •  Neal Ascherson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1996 •  PAPER  • 306 PAGES A vivid and entertaining exploration of the Black Sea, with its unique mingling of cultures. Ascherson skillfully interweaves nature, politics, and culture as he describes both the history of the region and the current state of affairs. (RUS46, $18.00)
Borderland, A Journey Through the History of Ukraine  •  Anna Reid HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A lively survey of the traditions and history of Ukraine, organized geographically. Reid, who was for three years the Kiev correspondent for the Economist, combines first-person reports, interviews and history in this insightful portrait of the region. (RUS84, $17.00)
Bradt Guide Georgia  •  Tim Burford GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES This convenient guide is a personal, detailed overview of Georgia. It includes coverage of the Black Sea coast, Tbilisi and other major towns, as well as information on history, culture and accommodations. Filled with photographs, maps and excellent travel information, including visiting Armenia on a three day visa. (CCS03, $25.99)
The Brothers Karamazov  •  Fyodor Dostoevsky  •  Larissa Volokhonsky  •  Richard Pevear LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 832 PAGES Dostoyevsky's final masterpiece, the introspective, philosophical novel of four very different brothers dealing with the murder of their father. This edition is an acclaimed recent translation. (RUS108, $18.00)
Burning Lights  •  Bella Chagall  •  Marc Chagall  •  Norbert Guterman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1988 •  PAPER  • 268 PAGES A memoir of growing up in the city of Vitebsk, Belarus in the beginning of the 20th century. Illustrated by the author's husband (famous artist Marc Chagall), this is a woman's story of life in traditional Belorussian society. (RUS122, $19.00)
C.I.S. and the Baltic States Map  •  Hildebrand MAP A reasonably detailed map of Western Russia and the Baltics (at a scale of 1:3.5 million) with a general all the states of the former USSR on the reverse at a scale of 1:15.7 million. The more detailed map includes not only the western portion of Russia, but much of Central Asia, right up to the Chinese border. (RUS22, $14.95)
Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture  •  Nicholas Rzhevsky CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 372 PAGES A collection of scholarly articles on Russian culture. (RUS295, $31.99)
The Captain's Daughter and Other Stories  •  Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin LITERATURE •  1957 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Featuring Pushkin's novel-length masterpeice, The Captains Daughter, set against the events of the Pugachov uprising in during the reign of Catherine II. (RUS311, $11.95)
Catherine the Great, A Short History  •  Isabel De Madariaga BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A brief, balanced biography of Catherine the Great, covering her life, influence and times. Written by a noted scholar of Russian history, the book offers an excellent overview of the political and social climate of 18th-century Russia. De Madariaga begins the book with a short, vigorous chapter: Catherine seizes power. The woman who ruled from 1762 until her death in 1796 had no claim to the throne. For serious students, Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great, also by De Madariaga, offers more detail. A Yale Note Bene paperback. (RUS105, $14.95)
Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan  •  Freytag & Berndt REFERENCE •  MAP A travel map of the Caucasus at a scale 1:1,000,000. (CCS01, $12.95)
A Century of Ambivalence, The Jews of Russia and the Soviet Union, 1881 to the Present  •  Zvi Y. Gitelman HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 321 PAGES A strikingly illustrated history of Jewish life in Russia, originally published in 1988 and expanded for this second edition. With two new chapters on the fate of Jews and Judaism in the former Soviet Union, 200 black-and-white photographs from YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and three maps. Zvi Gitelman is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. (RUS172, $24.95)
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)
The Collected Stories of Isaac Babel  •  Isaac Babel LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 511 PAGES An authoritative edition of Isaac Babel's powerful short fiction, edited by his daughter Nathalie Babel and translated by award-winner Peter Constantine. This edition includes among its treasures his early Red Cavalry Stories and The Odessa Tales, masterpieces that draw on Babel's experiences. This work follows in the wake of the extraordinary Complete Works of Isaac Babel by the same team. (RUS171, $16.95)
The Coming Anarchy, Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War  •  Robert D. Kaplan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES Topical essays by the prolific Robert Kaplan. (WLD51, $13.95)
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)
Communism, A History  •  Richard Pipes HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A short, fiercely critical history of communism from the ideas of Karl Marx to the end of the 20th century by the Harvard historian and critic of the Soviet Union (which is the focus of much of the book). A volume in the excellent Modern Library chronicles series. (GEN367, $13.95)
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)
Confessions of a Fallen Standard-Bearer  •  Andrei Makine LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES The celebrated contemporary Russian author follows two ideologically fervent boys, Arkady and Alyosha, as they come of age in post-Stalin Soviet Union. (RUS136, $21.95)
The Cossacks  •  Leo Tolstoy  •  Peter Constantine  •  Cynthia Ozick LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A fresh translation of Tolstoy's 1863 semi-autobiographical novel about a young Muscovite and his military adventures in the rough and ready Caucasus. The book is, in part, a portrait of the Cossacks -- and an account of falling in love. (RUS241, $11.95)
The Cossacks, An Illustrated History  •  John Ure HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES In this lively, beautifully illustrated overview, a career diplomat (and frequent visitor to the region) explores the history of the Cossacks in Southern Russia and central Asia and their role in world affairs. With 105 color and 30 black and white illustrations. Interestingly, Ure challenges the notion that the Cossacks are no longer influential (or evident), detailing their involvement in Chechnya, Bosnia and other places. (RUS135, $45.00)
Cracks in the Iron Closet, Travels in Gay and Lesbian Russia  •  David Tuller TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES A soul-searching reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle out and about in 1990s Russia. Tuller mixes travelogue with history, social analysis, and lots of comentary on his circle of friends and aquaintances (including the lesbian he fell for). It's an intimate, slightly surreal portrait of an emerging gay subculture in modern Russia. (RUS149, $15.00)
The Crown Jewels, The British Secrets at the Heart of the KGB's Archives  •  Nigel West  •  Oleg Tsarev HISTORY •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 384 PAGES A lively account of Soviet intelligence activity in Britain from the end of World War I to the late 1950s. West is a prolific British military historian specializing in espionage. (SPY21, $50.00)
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)
Days of Defeat and Victory  •  Yegor Gaidar HISTORY •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 342 PAGES Gaidar, an architect of Yeltsin reforms, offers his lively, candid views on the dramatic events of the 1990s in this eyewitness account and memoir. (RUS231, $30.00)
The Death of Achilles, A Novel  •  Boris Akunin  •  Andrew Bromfield MYSTERY •  2006 •  PAPER The fourth book in the series starring Russian detective Erast Petrovich Fandorin, set in Moscow in 1882. (RUS291, $12.95)
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)
Defiance, The Bielski Partisans  •  Nechama Tec HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Led by Tuvia Bielski and his brothers, a group of Jews in 1940s Belorusssia, known as the Bieleksi Partisans, mounted an armed rescue Jewish Europeans, saving hundreds from the Holocaust. This is their story, as gathered through interviews by Holocaust surviver Nechama Tec. (RUS120, $26.75)
The Devils  •  Fyodor Dostoevsky  •  David Magarshack LITERATURE •  1954 •  PAPER  • 704 PAGES (RUS309, $13.00)
Dreams of My Russian Summers, A Novel  •  Andrei Makine LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES In this widely praised first novel, Makine writes evocatively of the coming of age of a young boy in the Soviet Union of the 1960's and 70's. (RUS266, $14.00)
The Eastern Front, 1914-1917  •  Norman Stone HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A classic study of Russia's contribution to the First World War. First published in 1975, before Soviet archives were opened, this work details the Russian defeat and how it affected the 1917 revolution. (WAR76, $16.95)
Echoes of a Native Land, Two Centuries of a Russian Village  •  Serge Schmemann CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES The author, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist based in Moscow, draws on his knowledge of Russia, family photographs, letters and memoirs to tell the story of the czarist past and present realities of his ancestral home outside Moscow. (RUS27, $19.00)
Empire, The Russian Empire and Its Rivals  •  Dominic Lieven HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 528 PAGES (RUS296, $22.00)
The Empress & the Architect, British Architecture and Gardens at the Court of Catherine the Great  •  Dmitri Shvidkovsky ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 273 PAGES A gorgeous oversize survey of the 18th-century palaces, towns, parks and gardens in Russia designed by Charles Cameron, the Scottish architect to the court of Catherine the Great. With 190 black-and-white and 100 color illustrations, including architectural drawings and engravings, watercolors and modern color photographs. Shvidkovsky is a leading historian of Russian architecture. Appropriate attention is devoted to Catherine's Palace at Pushkin (Tsarkoye Selo) and Pavlovsk. (RUS259, $80.00)
The End of Eurasia, Russia on the Border Between Geopolitics and Globalization  •  Dmitri Trenin HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 345 PAGES A thought provoking analysis of Russia's foreign policy by the deputy director of the Carnegie Moscow Center (and a retired Russian army officer). Trenin -- who argues for a Euro-centered Russia and integration with the West -- looks at Russia's western face, its southern borders with the Islamic republics of Central Asia and the far east, increasingly dominated by China. (RUS163, $24.95)
Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse  •  James E. Falen  •  Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A master work by one of Russia's most respected poets. Set in early 19th-century Russia, Pushkin's verse novel tells the tale of three men and three women, interwoven with a variety of literal philosophical and autobiographical tangents. (RUS101, $9.95)
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)
Faberge in the Royal Collection  •  Caroline De Guitaut ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES A handsome study of Faberge art and the British Royal Family. Includes essays on the history of the collection, royal collectors, and Faberge's enduring influence. With 220 illustrations, 200 in color. (RUS215, $50.00)
The Face of Russia: Anguish, Aspiration and Achievement in Russian Culture  •  James H. Billington ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES A companion volume to the PBS television series, this is a well informed, entertaining guide to key figures in the history of Russian art and culture. The book is divided into three parts: The Monks, Aristocrats and Masses. Billington covers icon painting, literature of Gogol, Musogsky's music and Eisentstein's ground-breaking films. (RUS54, $16.00)
Fathers and Sons  •  Ivan Turgenev LITERATURE •  1975 •  PAPER  • 295 PAGES This book is the original exploration of the generation gap, where the progressive, atheistic and scientific nihilism of the radical Bazarov clashes with the traditional values of his elders. The most accessible of the great Russian novelists, Turgenev was the first to create the modern revolutionary, the outsider, and the first to structure his story around the psychology of his characters instead of plot. More accurately translated than other Turgenev classics (RUS19, $12.00)
The First Circle  •  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  •  Thomas Whitney LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 580 PAGES Set in Moscow, Solzhenitsyn's The First Circle follows the fate of Gleb Nerzhin, his scientist colleagues and fellow prisoners and how they negotiate the horrors of Soviet Russia in the years following WWII. Like his protagonist, the author was a mathematician forced to work in a Stalinist-era prison run as a research institute. Solzhenitsyn was the winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature. (RUS260, $16.95)
First Person, An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait by Russia's President  •  Vladimir Putin HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES A book-length series of interviews with Russia's leader, organized chronologically. The question and answer sessions cover the man, his politics and rise to power. Translated by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. (RUS161, $16.00)
Five Plays  •  Anton Chekhov  •  Ronald Hingley LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES A comprehensive collection of Chekhov's major plays, including "Ivanov," "The Seagull," "Uncle Vanya," "Three Sisters," and "The Cherry Orchard." (RUS88, $8.95)
The Fixer  •  Bernard Malamud LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES Set in Tsarist Russia, this well-known novel by Malamud tells the story of a young Jewish boy from Kiev wrongly accused of murder. Based on true events, the book confronts anti-semitism in Russia during the first decades of the 20th century. This classic novel (first published in 1966) was the first book ever to win both a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. (RUS271, $15.00)
Fodor's Moscow and St. Petersburg  •  Christopher and Melanie Rice GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 275 PAGES This comprehensive guide in the Fodor's Gold series features solid practical information on sights, excursions, restaurants, hotels and nightlife. With a chapter on the cities of the Golden Ring. Fifth edition. (RUS03, $19.95)
Following Balanchine  •  Robert Garis BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 260 PAGES Part art criticism, part personal memoir, this work is an homage to an artist by a passionate fan who watched his legacy unfold. English professor and dance critic Robert Garis describes how Balanchine's ballets prompted his own self-discovery. (RUS194, $28.00)
Food in Russian History and Culture  •  Joyce Toomre  •  Musya Glants FOOD •  1997 •  PAPER Food is the chosen lens for the 14 cultural historians who contributed essays to this scholarly, wide-ranging book. Topics range from Tolstoy's vegetarianism to starvation under Stalin to Soviet restaurants. (RUS143, $19.95)
From Karamzin to Bunin: An Anthology of Russian Short Stories  •  Carl Proffer ANTHOLOGY •  1969 •  PAPER  • 468 PAGES This anthology stands out by including a broad selection of literary masterpieces from the earliest Russian prose to the years before the revolution, the best short works by each of the authors, and reliable translations of such masterpieces as Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades," Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych," Gogol's "The Overcoat," and several of Chekhov's best-loved stories. (RUS08, $22.95)
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)
From Three Worlds, New Ukrainian Writing  •  Ed Hogan  •  Askold Melnyczuk  •  Michael Naydan ANTHOLOGY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 282 PAGES Contemporary short stories, poems, and excerpts from novels make up this anthology of writing from 15 native Ukrainians. (RUS118, $12.95)
From Union to Commonwealth  •  Gail Lapidus HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 127 PAGES A sweeping history of the fragmentation of the Soviet Union by a team of experts, each writing from their own area of knowledge - political, historical and sociological. (RUS285, $27.99)
Galina, A Russian Story  •  Galina Vishnevskaya BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1985 •  PAPER  • 568 PAGES Born in St. Petersburg, the great Soprano (and wife of Mstislav Rostropovich) recounts her extraordinary life in this bestseller (turned into an opera in 1996). (RUS312, $26.00)
The Gentle Axe  •  R. N. Morris MYSTERY •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES The St. Petersburg of 1867 is brought vividly to life as investigator Porfiry Petrovich tries to unravel the dark mystery of a disturbing double murder case. Morris draws the reader through a world of squalor and corruption, skillfully capturing it with great spirit and empathy. (RUS315, $24.95)
The Georgian Feast, The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia  •  Darra Goldstein  •  Niko Pirosmani CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 229 PAGES Historian and food expert Darra Goldstein offers up a savory introduction to the Republic of Georgia in this illustrated cultural history. She combines her love of Georgian food -- and recipes -- with information on geography, history and culture. (CCS02, $21.95)
Gorbachev and Yeltsin As Leaders  •  George Breslauer HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 3831 PAGES An astute, balanced political analysis. Breslauer -- a professor at Berkeley -- has also published Khrushchev and Brezhnev as Leaders: Building Authority in Soviet Politics (1982). (RUS156, $27.99)
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 History of the Russian Ballet, Its Art and Choreography  •  Elisabeth Souritz  •  Evdokia Belova  •  E. Bocharnikova ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES An illustrated history of the Russification of ballet. For over two centuries the Russians have revolutionized and made this imported art form their own. This work, compiled by a team of scholars, chronicles the history of the discipline under the guidance of Petipa, Tchaikovsky, Diaghilev and more. With illustrations, designs, portraits and photographs. (RUS195, $55.00)
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)
Growing Pains, Russian Democracy and the Election of 1993  •  Jerry F. Hough  •  Timothy J. Colton HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 745 PAGES An in-depth analysis of Russia's 1993 election -- the first since the collapse of the Soviet Union -- with attention given to campaigns, parties, personalities and the electoral process. (RUS75, $26.95)
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)
Hadji Murad  •  Leo Tolstoy  •  Aylmer Maude LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A short novel set in the 19th-century Caucasus, concerning -- in part -- conflicts between the occupying Russians and Muslim groups in the region. Tolstoy, who spent four years in the Russian army in the Caucasus, based his story on a real-life mountain warrior. Originally published posthumously in 1923, this edition includes an introduction by John Burt Foster that puts the novel in its historical context. (CCS18, $11.95)
The Heart of a Dog  •  Mikhail Bulgakov  •  Michael Glenny LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 82 PAGES A comic tale -- and deadpan parable of the Russian revolution -- this novella opens with the memorable line: Ooow-ow-ooow-owow. Oh, look at me, I'm dying. Bulgakov makes great fun of boring everyday life in the Soviet Union in this high-spirited story of a dog who receives the testicles and pituitary glands of a recently decreased man. By the author of the superb "Master and Margarita." (RUS127, $13.00)
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 Hermitage, Masterpieces  •  Scala Masterpieces ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 158 PAGES A slim guide to the extraordinary collection, this little book, featuring 80 color reproductions, is an excellent overview of what to see at the Hermitage. (RUS90, $29.95)
A Hero of Our Time  •  Mikhail Lermontov  •  Vladimir Nabokov  •  Dmitri Nabokov LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES The story of the bored and cynical antihero Pechorin. A subtle, psychological, and brooding masterpiece of Russian Romanticism originally published in 1840, it influenced later 19th century greats including Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekhov. (RUS316, $13.95)
Hippocrene Language and Travel Guide to Ukraine  •  Linda Hodges  •  George Chumak GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 387 PAGES • COMING IN NOVEMBER An insightful, personal travel guide to the region with chapters on Kiev, Crimea and Odessa, as well as an overview of the history of Ukraine. It opens with a chapter entitled "Developing a Ukrainian Perspective" and includes key phrases and language instruction throughout the book. This is the guide to getting the most out of an extended visit. Fourth edition. (RUS52, $18.95)
A History of Russia  •  Nicholas Riasanovsky HISTORY •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 776 PAGES First published nearly 40 years ago, this comprehensive history of Russia -- now in its sixth edition -- remains a popular survey for students and travelers with a serious interest in history. It's a scholarly, balanced survey from Russia's Kievan origins through Imperial and Soviet Russia to Yeltsin and the new Russian Federation. (RUS130, $56.00)
A History of Russia  •  George Vernadsky HISTORY •  1986 •  PAPER  • 520 PAGES A popular college text. (RUS174, $30.00)
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)
A History of Russian Music, From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar  •  Francis Maes  •  Arnold Pomerans MUSIC •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 440 PAGES A scholarly social history of Russian music and the influence of notable Russian composers starting in the early 19th century with Mikhail Glinka and covering up through the 1970s with the works of Shostakovich. (RUS223, $60.00)
A History of the Peoples of Siberia, Russia's North Asian Colony 1581-1990  •  James Forsyth HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 455 PAGES An ethnohistory of the people of Siberia from Russian conquest to the 1980s. Forsyth looks at 30 indigenous groups, comparing their experience with the Eskimos and Indians of North America. Along with the Yakuts, Tatars and Chukchis, this comprehensive study also features the peoples of Lake Baikal, Manchuria and the Russian-Chinese border. With 16 halftones and 12 maps. (SIB03, $48.00)
A History of Twentieth-Century Russia  •  Robert Service HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 651 PAGES A lively, comprehensive history of modern Russia and particularly the Soviet period, which draws on recent archival material. Perhaps daunting in size, Service skillfully combines scholarship (including much Russian scholarship and primary sources), anecdotes, facts, personality and analysis into a big but thoroughly readable narrative history. With a few maps and drawings, notes and index. (RUS131, $20.95)
Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia  •  Dan Healey CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 376 PAGES This study unearths the legal, medical and political attitudes toward gay men and women before and after 1917. Healey, a lecturer in Russian social history in Wales, reveals the changing homosexual subculture in Moscow and St. Petersburg in this fascinating, scholarly book. (RUS145, $45.00)
Hope Against Hope  •  Nadezhda Mandelstam BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES Nadezhda Mandelstam's memoir of life with her husband Osip and a riveting account of Stalinist Russia. One of Russia's greatest 20th-centuiry poets, Osip Mandelstam died in Stalin's Great Purge of 1937-38. (RUS308, $23.00)
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)
How Russia Shaped the Modern World: From Art to Anti-Semitism, Ballet to Bolshevism  •  Steven G. Marks HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 408 PAGES This wide-ranging book focuses on Russian contributions to art, literature, politics and ideas of 19th- and 20th-century Europe and America. Marks considers artists and thinkers including Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Diaghilev, Stanislavsky, Kandinsky, and Malevich. (RUS245, $25.95)
I, Maya Plisetskayar  •  Maya Plisetskaya  •  Antonia W. Bouis BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES A memoir of dance set against a backdrop of political turmoil. Plisetskaya, a prominent Russian ballerina, bitterly describes the persecution of her family and her struggles as an artist under the Soviet Regime. (RUS254, $48.00)
The Icon and the Axe, An Interpretive History of Russian Culture  •  James H. Billington HISTORY •  1970 •  PAPER  • 786 PAGES From Kievan beginnings through 600 years to the Soviet era, this book presents the intellectual currents that have shaped Russia and her traditions. It's a cultural and artistic history, written by the Librarian of Congress: a comprehensive, intellectual investigation of the spiritual and ideological forces that led to the development of Russia. (RUS09, $23.00)
Igor Stravinsky, An Autobiography  •  Igor Stravinsky BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES A brief account of the life and work of Stravinsky (1882-1971), by the conductor himself, covering the first 50 years of his life in St. Petersburg, France and Switzerland. Originally published in 1956. (MUS18, $14.95)
An Illustrated History of the First World War  •  John Keegan HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES • COMING IN An illustrated edition of Keegan's outstanding history of the Great War, considerably enhanced by his selection of almost 500 photographs, maps, drawings and illustrations. The visuals clarify and augment his wide-ranging narrative of the origins, battles and consequences of WWI. (WAR16, $50.00)
Images of Space, St. Petersburg in the Visual and Verbal Arts  •  Grigory Kaganov  •  Sidney Monas ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 238 PAGES A slim, academic study, featuring 75 black-and-white engravings, paintings and illustrations. This is not an architectural guide to St. Petersburg in the traditional sense. Instead of studying the buildings, parks, and bridges of the historic city, Kaganov delves into changing ideas about spatial representation, looking at the way St. Petersburg's urban spaces -- and the depiction of them in art and literature-- have changed over the centuries. (RUS42, $57.95)
Inside Putin's Russia, Can there be Reform Without Democracy?  •  Andrew Jack HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER An illuminating, highly readable survey of developments in Russia since 1998 by the Moscow bureau chief of the Financial Times. (RUS283, $17.95)
Insight Guide Russia  •  Anna Benn GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 383 PAGES An engaging guide to the country and its major regions and cities with short, handsomely illustrated essays on Russian history, life, art, literature and music. The guide includes excellent full-color maps and hundreds of photographs. (RUS37, $22.95)
Ivan the Terrible  •  Henri Troyat BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES The author of biographies of Catherine the Great and Tolstoy, Henri Troyat illuminates the life and fear-inspiring reign of Russia's first czar, the aptly named Ivan the Terrible. (RUS220, $21.95)
Ivan The Terrible, First Tsar of Russia  •  Isabel De Madariaga HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 384 PAGES An important biography of the much-misunderstood 16th-century Russian czar and his times, including a consideration of the role of religion, magic and astrology at the royal court. (RUS278, $35.00)
Ivan Vasilievich, Back to the Future  •  Leonid Gaiday CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1973 •  DVD In this madcap comedy, based on a play by Mikhail Bulgakov, finds Vasilievich transported from Soviet-era Moscow to the palace of Ivan the Terrible. (RUS246, $29.99)
K-19 The Widowmaker: The Secret Story of the Soviet Nuclear Submarine  •  Peter A. Huchthausen HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 243 PAGES This companion to the film of the same name describes the race against time to prevent the meltdown of a nuclear reactor aboard the first Soviet ballistic missile boat in 1961. Former U.S. Navy antisubmarine expert Peter Huchthausen tells this stunning true story of captain Nikolai Zateyev and crew's life saving heroics. Includes rare archival photographs, movie stills and an afterward by director Kathryn Bigelow. (RUS187, $16.00)
Khrushchev, The Man and His Era  •  William Taubman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  PAPER  • 908 PAGES A definitive, Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the life of Nikita Khrushchev, which also serves a detailed portrait of Soviet Russia and the legacy of Stalin. Taubman is professor of political science at Amherst (RUS257, $17.95)
Kiev: A Portrait, 1800-1917  •  Michael F. Hamm HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES From medieval center to important city in Imperial Russia, this scholarly book is a wonderfully informative cultural history of the city and especially its 19th-century legacy. (RUS56, $37.50)
Kosmos, A Portrait of the Russian Space Age  •  Svetlana Boym  •  Adam Bartos CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES A portfolio of 100 photographs of the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, with an accompanying essay by Harvard professor Svetlana Boym. The somber photographs were taken between 1995 and 1997 in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. (RUS184, $40.00)
Kremlin Rising, Vladimir Putin's Russia and the End of Revolution  •  Peter Baker  •  Susan Glasser HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 453 PAGES A critical overview of recent political change in Russia by two Washington Post journalists. (RUS273, $27.50)
Legacies of Twentieth-Century Dance  •  Lynn Garafola CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  PAPER  • 468 PAGES A marvelously illustrated and scholarly collection of essays on the evolution of dance in the 20th century. The four sections of the book focus on the Ballet Ruses, female dancers, New York as the dance capital of the world and questions of memory and reconstruction. (RUS256, $29.95)
Lenin, A New Biography  •  Dmitri Volkogonov BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 529 PAGES A well regarded biography. (RUS250, $48.00)
Letters from Russia  •  Marquis De Custine  •  Anka Muhlstein TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 654 PAGES An authoritative edition of Astolphe de Custine's scathing, insightful -- and observant -- account of the people, culture and politics of St. Petersburg and Moscow circa 1839. George Kennan called this book the best thing ever written about Russia, no doubt in part because of de Custine's trenchant observations on Russian despotism (the Soviets also banned the book). This is the 1843 translation, edited, revised and with an introduction by de Custine's biographer, Anka Muhlstein. (RUS166, $22.95)
Life and Fate  •  Vasily Grossman LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 896 PAGES Modeled on Tolstoy's War and Peace, this novel gives a sweeping account of Soviet life during World War II. (RUS299, $22.95)
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 Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES In its hallmark style, this practical guide to the Baltic nations by Lonely Planet features maps, a good overview of culture, history and language, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With color photographs and excellent travel information. (BLT05, $25.99)
Lonely Planet Russia & Belarus  •  Richard Nebesky GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 704 PAGES A practical guide to Russia, including Ukraine & Belarus, featuring a good overview of culture and history and, more significantly, detailed travel information on where to go and what to do. (RUS82, $29.99)
Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook  •  James Jenkin  •  Inna Zaitseva LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2006 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES A handy shirtpocket phrasebook for Russian basics focusing on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler. (RUS111, $8.99)
Lost Opportunity: What has Made Economic Reform in Russia so Difficult?  •  Marshall Goldman HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 308 PAGES An astute commentator, the author looks at Yeltsin's economic reforms and the changes wrought on the complex Russian economy since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Associate Director of the Davis Center for Russian Studies at Harvard, the author is none too optimistic about the prospects for genuine reform. (RUS64, $13.95)
Making Sense of War, the Second World War and the Fate of the Bolshevik Revolution  •  Amir Weiner HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A consideration of WWII and its impact on Russia. (RUS251, $32.95)
Mammals of Europe  •  Priscilla Barrett  •  David W. MacDonald FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Published by Princeton, this is a field guide to land and marine mammals throughout Europe, both endemic and introduced. With more than 600 color illustrations of over 200 mammals, it's a comprehensive handbook, with detailed descriptions, range maps and commentary on behavior. (FG61, $34.95)
The Master and Margarita  •  Mikhail Bulgakov  •  Mirra Ginsberg LITERATURE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 402 PAGES Hailed as "one of the greatest novels to ever come out of the Soviet Union" by the "New York Times," this book is impossible to categorize. It is part satire, part fairytale, part fable, part slapstick. It was written in the 1930s, the most repressive period of Stalin's reign, as an elaborate allegory to convey Michail Bulgakov's anti-Stalinist message, complete with a main character named Satan who is accompanied by his talking black cat. (RUS44, $11.95)
The Master of Petersburg  •  J.M. Coetzee LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 250 PAGES Celebrated author Fyodor Dostoyevski becomes a literary character in Coetzee's novel of 19th-century Russia. Dostoyevski is summoned to St. Petersburg to investigate the suicide of his stepson. The mystery he soon becomes ensnared in illuminates the underworld of pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg. (RUS200, $15.00)
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)
Minsk Map  •  Freytag & Berndt 2006 •  MAP A city plan of Minsk, the capital of Belarus and its largest city, at a scale of 1:16,000. (RUS317, $10.95)
The Moldovans: Romania, Russia and the Politics of Culture  •  Charles King HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES A scholarly political and cultural history of Moldova, focusing on issues of national identity in a post-Soviet world. (EUR97, $24.95)
Moscow Diary  •  Walter Benjamin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1986 •  PAPER  • 150 PAGES From the pen of Walter Benjamin, a major figure in German literature and criticism, comes this revealing diary of his observations of Russian life during December 1926 and January 1927. Not only does he record thoughts on Moscow's cultural crisis and daily life, but he also affords readers a glimpse into his own emotionally unstable life and his relatiosnhips with a reluctant mistress and playwright Bernhard Reich. (RUS41, $21.50)
Moscow Map  •  ITMB MAP A folded map of Moscow and surrounding neighborhoods at the broad scale of 1:50,000, and featuring a detailed map of the city center at 1:12,500. (RUS151, $8.95)
Moscow, A Cultural History  •  Caroline Brooke HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Caroline Brooke explores the birth and various reinventions of Moscow, from a twelfth-century fortress to invasion by Napoleon in 1812 to the rise and fall of communism. Part of the Cityscapes series. (RUS292, $19.95)
Moscow, Governing the Socialist Metropolis  •  Timothy J. Colton HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 939 PAGES A scholarly, political history of Moscow from frontier town through Tsarist and Soviet transformations to the 1990s by a Harvard professor. It's a big book, nicely written, that will appeal to travelers with a serious interest in history. At almost 1,000 pages with the usual scholarly notes it's not for the feint of heart. (RUS157, $31.50)
Murder on the Leviathan  •  Boris Akunin  •  Andrew Bromfield MYSTERY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES Erast Fandorin, a young diplomat who moonlights as a detective and the hero of Akunin's novel "The Winter Queen" must match wits with the French police commissioner Gustave Gauche to determine which passenger aboard a ship destined for India murdered the Lord Littleby and his ten servants. Akunin pays homage to Agatha Christie with a bizarre and memorable cast of characters in this entertaining page-turner. (RUS225, $12.95)
Natasha's Dance, A Cultural History of Russia  •  Orlando Figes CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 768 PAGES In this lively cultural history, Figes looks at both the great works by Russian masters and longstanding folk traditions. The title is drawn from a scene of Tolstoy's War and Peace in which a European-educated countess performs a peasant dance and the monumental work is dedicated to this tension between Asia and Europe, peasants and nobility. (RUS180, $20.00)
National Geographic Traveler St. Petersburg  •  Jeremy Howard GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES (RUS318, $22.95)
Nicholas and Alexandra  •  Robert Massie HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 613 PAGES This is a fairy tale of true love turned tragic as Tsar Nicholas II, the handsome ruler of one-sixth of the earth, carries on the royal Russian tradition of marrying a German princess, Alexandra of Hesse. Their union produces four daughters and a hemophiliac son, the tsarevitch Alexis, whose disease only the evil monk Rasputin can treat. The stage is set for the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and imperial Russia and the coming of Communism. This entertaining and well-researched history traces the royal relationship and explores how a disease determined the destiny of rulers, the disintegration of the empire, and the course of Russian history. (RUS69, $18.95)
Nights at the Circus  •  Angela Carter LITERATURE •  1984 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES This wildly inventive, bawdy -- and very strange -- tale follows an enchanted circus and its six-foot-two winged star from turn-of-the-century London to St. Peterburg and Siberia. Ever since reading this novel, we've wanted to take the Trans-Siberian Express. (RUS189, $15.00)
No Fixed Points, Dance in the Twentieth Century  •  Malcolm McCormick  •  Nancy Reynolds CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 928 PAGES A comprehensive history of 20th century dance in Europe and America. It's a readable, illustrated reference that offers both biographies of major dancers and choreographers, and critical analysis. (RUS255, $60.00)
Northern Europe Map  •  Freytag & Berndt MAP A colorful shaded relief map of Scandinavia and the Baltic States at a scale of 1:2,000,000. It shows the entire Baltic Sea region. (EUR19, $11.95)
Notes from Underground  •  Fyodor Dostoevsky  •  Richard Pevear LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES "I am a sick man... I am a wicked man." So begins Dostoevsky's darkly funny 1864 novel, an introspective psychological portrait of the Underground Man, one of Dostoevsky's most recognizable protagonists. A rich character study and an excellent glimpse of 19th-century St. Petersburg, "the most abstract and intentional city on the entire globe," written with the unforgettable wit and compassion of the master of Russian literature. (RUS230, $11.95)
Notes of a Provincial Wildfowler  •  Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 216 PAGES A celebrated drama critic and man of letters in 19th-century Moscow, Aksakov was also a keen observer of nature, and especially of birds. Organized by species, this book collects his notes on the natural history of Russian birdlife, including detailed observations on behavior, ecology and landscapes. A wonderfully literate book, this is the companion volume to Notes on Fishing. (RUS60, $39.00)
Oblomov  •  Ivan Goncharov  •  David Magarshack LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES (RUS310, $15.00)
Odyssey Guide Georgia  •  Robert Rosen  •  Jeffrey Jay Foxx  •  Eduard Shevardnadze GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A comprehensive travel guide to Georgia and the Caucasus, extensively revised, with maps, color photographs, and an excellent overview of culture and history. The heart of the book is a region-by-region guide to attractions. It includes literary excerpts from the works of well known Georgian authors and selections from the national epic, "The Knight in the Panther's Skin." President Eduard Shevardnadze contributed the preface. (CCS04, $23.95)
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)
Open Lands, Travels Through Russia's Once Forbidden Places  •  Mark Taplin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 376 PAGES • COMING IN An information officer posted at the U.S. embassy in Moscow in 1992, Taplin jumped at the chance to visit the regions of Russia suddenly thrown open to the West. Off he goes to gulags, Siberian archipelagos, Kamchatka and Vladivostok in this witty travelogue that mixes journalism, social commentary and history. (RUS62, $18.00)