A Brief History of Russia

As I read this book, I wished that all history books were written like this: straightforward, well-organized, just literary enough to be pleasant and engaging. A few dozen centuries of Russian history, all within the span of 250 pages: A remarkable achievement really. I was left with the impression that all the major incidents, movements, personalities, etc. were all covered in only as much detail as I really wanted. Yet he found time for a few paragraphs each on Tchaikowsky, Pushkin and Dostoyevsky, among others. For anyone interested in learning what happened in that vast area from the days BCE through Putin, without getting too bogged down in the mud (!), this volume is excellent. Highest marks. I would recommend it to anyone.