Widely hailed as perhaps the most intensively planned city of the early modern age, St. Petersburg, established by Peter the Great in 1703, soon developed in many ways beyond the purview of its planners. By the reign of Catherine the Great, the city assumed many of the characteristics and forms that mark it to this day. This pioneering study balances the tensions between planning and indigenous growth. It makes use of rich and varied unpublished sources, from archives in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Iaroslavl', as well as contemporary published accounts in several languages and a wide secondary literature to examine the city's administration, economic life, and demographic and social realities. It is the first study to probe so deeply into the city's life. The result is an unprecedented look at Russian urban life in the last third of the eighteenth century. A popular study leader, George E. Munro teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.  (RUS401, $69.50)