A sweeping, intricate description of Russian cultural history, spanning the pre-Romanov era through six centuries to the reign of Joseph Stalin. Flowing with ease through time and topic -- from art to music, literature, philosophy, mythology and more -- the book provides readers with an alluring portrayal of Russia's proud heritage. Its impressive scope and lasting insights have made it a foundational text in Russian studies. In fact, it was this...
This book evidently is the result of a disertation as it has the typical structure of such a document. It really needs to be read in conjunction with other books on Russian History to get its full impact. It is highly documented with lots of notes. It gives Russian history a new look, telling you why Russia had to do certain things. It was very enlightening and well organized and written. I would give it a must buy recommendation...
0Report
When I read this book as a young university student in the early 1970s, it kindled an interest that has endured to this day. In fact, I went on to graduate school in Russian Area Studies and spent 16 years as a Soviet specialist in the Department of Defense, primarily as a result of the reading and study sparked by Billington's masterpiece. It is not conventional history. People have asked me again and again to explain why...
0Report
James Billington, the present (2000) Librarian Of Congress, was well known as an expert on the subject of the Soviet Union and Russia prior to his 1989 appointment by President George Bush as head of "the Nation's Library" (as Billington likes to label LC). His 1970 book about the roots of Russian culture and cultural history should be on the bookshelf of any person who seeks to understand Russia. He wrote it during his days...
0Report
This is by far one of the best works out there on Russian history. Billington's discription of Russian culture helps the reader clearly understand Russian history, not only the when and what, but also the why. His coverage is very detailed and complete and taking into account the amount of information he provides, it is suprisingly easy to read. An excellent piece of work overall. Anyone interested in Russian history or...
0Report