History / Russian History

Washington, D.C., U.S.A.: Brookings Inst Press, 2003. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Russia has embarked on a slow but steady path of foreign policy alignment with the West. President Vladimir Putin's market-oriented economic policies and structural reforms have added momentum. But in the long run, the decisive factor in Russia's relationship with the West will be the nature of the political order it builds on the ruins of communism. Since the Soviet collapse Russia seems stalled somewhere between democracy as understood in the West and the highly authoritarian order Russia inherited from the USSR. Some would say that Russia is doomed by its history and political culture to a lengthy period of semi-authoritarianism. In this book, the author presents evidence that this assessment is too pessimistic and underestimates the forces for political change that lie beneath the surface of what seems to be an era of political somnolence. The author argues that it is not the weight of history or the antidemocratic attitudes of the Russian population restraining Russia from making progress toward stronger democratic institutions, but specific leadership policies and elements of Russia's political elite who have a self-interest in maintaining the status quo. This slender book is still in publisher's wraps. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York: Harper & Brothers, 1947. Book Club (BCE/BOMC). Hard Cover. Near Fine/Good. John Fischer believes that there are several clearly discernable reasons why the Soviet Russians behave as they do. First, the havoc wrought by the Nazi invaders has convinced them that they can never again let their security be jeopardizd by a state of affairs like that of prewar years. Other pressures - historic, economic, and political - have molded the Soviet habits of thought and action into a clearly defined pattern. This book is neither a defense or an indictment of the Soviet system: It is a dispassionate effort to explain the motives and probable future course of a country and a people we must understand. Written in an anecdotal style, this is an honest book which answers many questions that have been plaguing ordinary Americans in the years since the end of the war. It makes for absorbing reading. 262 pages. The bottom corners are bent in. The jacket has minor wear at the corners with a diagonal 1" tear from the top corner. The spine ends have slight wear; the top and bottom edges have a bit of chipping. The front of the cover appears to have gotten wet - it is lightly wrinkled on the bottom half. There is also a 1" tear from the top back, and an enclosed tear, about 1/2", on the front. The tears have been repaired. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New Haven, CT: Yale Univ Press, 2004. Second Printing. Hard Cover. New/New. Illustrations. One of the Annals of Communism series. The human cost of the Gulag, the Soviet labor camp system into which millions of people were imprisoned between 1920 and 1956, was staggering. There has never been a thorough historical study of this unique and tragic episode in Soviet history. This groundbreaking book presents the first comprehensive, historically accurate account of the camp system. Russian historian Oleg Khlevniuk has mined the contents of extensive archives, including long-suppressed state and Communist party documents, to uncover the secrets of the Gulag and how it became a central component of Soviet ideology and social policy. He argues persuasively that the Stalinist penal camps created in the 1930s were essential different from previous camps, and offers powerful evidence that the Great Terror was planned centrally and targeted particular categories of the population. This is an exceptionally informed and balanced view of the Gulag. 418 pages with endnotes, brief biographies, index of documents and a general index. In protective cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York: Harry N Abrams Inc, 1998. Hard Cover. New/New. New, still in publisher's plastic. This volume contains extensive text and photographs about the last Tsar of Russia and his family. 408 pages with 639 color plates. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. more information

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Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.: Turner Publications, 1994. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Raymer, Steve. Modern-day St. Petersburg is placed against its historical perspective in this glorious photographic study by National Geographic photographer Steve Raymer. This majestic and romantic city on the Neva River was built to be Russia's 'Window to the West' by Tsar Peter the Great, who was strongly influenced by Western European culture. Today, after almost three hundred years of rule by tsars, tsarinas - and Communists - St. Petersburg is struggling to find its place in the world community. The chapters in this lavishly illustrated book present the history and economics of the city, its museums and palaces, the arts and religions, and glimpses into the lives of a few typical Petersburgers." 192 pages, indexed with bibliography. Very light wear on all corners. Jacket has the same wear; the front bottom corner has a tiny tear. Beautiful full-color illustrations throughout, with historic photos included. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. more information

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Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.: Univ of Washington Pr, 1999. No Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Drawings. In the Soviet Union of the 1920s, the most prominent avant-garde artists were eager children's book illustrators. Reaching a mass audience of unformed, malleable young people appealed to their commitment to an art manifesto based on the creation of a new kind of person for the revolutionary age. At the same time, good pay and a low risk of censorship were practical attractions. Basing his work almost completely on primary sources - Russian picture books from the Russian State Library, private collections and publishers' archives - Evgeny Steiner tells his story in deft prose with a wry sense of humor. The solidness of his sources, the range of his interests, and the depth of his understanding of Russian life combine to make this an unusually perceptive book on a fascinating cultural issue that combines the visual arts, literature, and politics. Bound in cloth, 214 pages, including brief biographies of authors, notes, and an index, this book is well-illustrated in color and black and white artwork. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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Random House, 1981. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Near Fine. DJ is near fine; 1 chip and a few marks on the spine. Binding is fine and attractive. Book spans the years 1903-1945. 528 pages. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York, New York, U.S.A.: Basic Books, 2003. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. With 16 pages of never-before-seen photos, Rising Tide recounts successful Soviet operations, including top-secret exercises off the American coast, and espionage coups, such s the spy-ship that monitored American missile tests off the Florida coast and collected the debrise in full view of the US Navy. All too common were the near-misses, heroic rescues, and deadly catastrophes that plagued Soviet submarines over the years, and still do, including the horrific nuclear accident on board the ill-fated K-19, later nicknamed the "Hiroshima"; the internal fire that sank the K-8 in 1970 with 22 sailors on board, and the dramatic escape of crew members from the Komsomolets in 1989, as narrated by a survivor. Russian submarines fought two battles in the Cold War: One against their American opponents, and another against the cruel Soviet leadership that knowlingly put their lives at risk and caused so many needless deaths. Includes the tragic sinking of the Kursk in 2000. 354 pages, including an index, notes, and two appendices. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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