The Trial of Ivan the Terrible: State of Israel Vs. John Demjanjuk

Customer Reviews:

Boy ,is his face red !.......2005-09-26

354 pages and it all turned out to be complete BS!After being convicted,it later became obvious that Demjanjuk was not "Ivan The Terrible",and he was released to return home to the US.It has to make you wonder about the fairness of the trial.Obviously all the "witnesses" were either lying or completely wrong.I guess Mr. Teicholz should have waited until the appeals were over before writing this book,then he wouldn't have so much egg on his face.

Riveting.......2005-07-16

This book does an incredible job of telling the story of how one Ivan Demyanyuk, later known as John Demjanjuk, was brought to trial in Israel for being the notorious butcher and gas chamber operator Ivan the Terrible of Treblinka. Mr. Teicholz covers not only the trial (in superb depth), with the arguments and cross-examinations of people on the side of both the prosecution and the defence, but also the events leading up to Demjanjuk's capture, what he did after Treblinka, a bit about the camp itself and the riot/uprising that took place there in August of 1943, and what became of the small band of survivors after the War. All of the compelling evidence presented here builds up to the more and more undeniable conclusion, reached by the panel of three judges, that Demjanjuk was indeed Ivan the Terrible of Treblinka, for which he was sentenced to death by hanging. Unfortunately, this book ends by saying Demjanjuk's appeal is pending, and we know now that somehow this monster won his appeal and evaded the justice he had so sorely deserved, although at least his United States citizenship finally managed to be revoked. It would be nice if an updated edition could come out with information on the appeal, or, even better, a sequel of sorts covering the appeal and the appalling miscarriage of justice that was the end result.

Average customer rating:

Easy to read--very informative and interesting
Good, thorough analysis of Ivan's reign
A Big Disappointment.
Difficult to Read Biography of Ivan the Terrible
A real slog!

Ivan the Terrible
Isabel de Madariaga
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0300119739

Book Description

Ivan IV, “the Terrible” (1533–1584), is one of the key figures in Russian history, yet he has remained among the most neglected. Notorious for pioneering a policy of unrestrained terror—and for killing his own son—he has been credited with establishing autocracy in Russia. This is the first attempt to write a biography of Ivan from birth to death, to study his policies, his marriages, his atrocities, and his disordered personality, and to link them as a coherent whole.
Isabel de Madariaga situates Ivan within the background of Russian political developments in the sixteenth century. And, with revealing comparisons with English, Spanish, and other European courts, she sets him within the international context of his time. The biography includes a new account of the role of astrology and magic at Ivan’s court and provides fresh insights into his foreign policy. Facing up to problems of authenticity (much of Ivan’s archive was destroyed by fire in 1626) and controversies which have paralyzed western scholarship, de Madariaga seeks to present Russia as viewed from the Kremlin rather than from abroad and to comprehend the full tragedy of Ivan’s reign.

Customer Reviews:

Easy to read--very informative and interesting.......2007-06-04

I decided to read more about Ivan the IV after reading the Domostroi. At first I was skeptical, seeing the reviews on this site... but after reading a page in the book store I thought I would be capable of understanding the prose.

Aside from a few Russian words I didn't understand (although the context was fairly clear nonetheless), I didn't have a problem following the text: I will admit to breaking out the ol' dictionary a number of times, but that's no reason to not read a book. There are a lot of names tossed around, but rarely is a name discussed that is without 1) a prior description earlier in the text, and/or 2) a context in the discussion itself to help you appreciate the relevance of the person.

I also chose Madariaga's because every other book was reviewed as being inadequate academically speaking.

Good, thorough analysis of Ivan's reign.......2006-11-28

My favorite image in this book illustrates the vivid dichotomy present throughout this biography: "Prince Mikhail Repnin Obolensky. . . was unwise enough to protest when he saw Ivan indecorously `dancing in masks', but the Tsar responded by urging him to join in and forced a mask onto his head. This was a practice condemned by the Church. When Repnin tore the mask off and trampled on it, the Tsar was furious, banished him from the feast and had him murdered some days later in church. . ."

This passage illustrates Ivan's unstable nature, which lead him to perpetrate his most severe atrocities in times of worst emotional stress, such as after the death of his wife. The result is a psychological profile of the man, which indicates the relevance of the inner emotional life of a head of state to the welfare of his people.

Meanwhile, she devotes much needed time to situating Ivan in his cultural and historical context. She explores important questions relevant to Russian international relations, including Ivan's status as a "hereditary" monarch, instead of an "elected" monarch, and his resulting claims to moral superiority. Supposedly, his descent from Roman emperors gave him a superior status in the eyes of God.

The book also explores his status among European monarchs, who competed for the right to be called "brother" or "father" by their counterparts. The result paints a picture of a troubled youth who became the disturbed outcaste among Christian heads of state, and whose subjects felt his wrath during times of inner turmoil

Thus, the author reveals the consequences of this disastrous recipe. He was an unstable, egomaniacal ruler in a totalitarian state. She also uses the important metaphor of his atrocities as a "human hemorrhage," which poisoned the Russian body politic, both through the demoralization of the populace and by establishing a precedent for brutality in Russian government that continued for centuries afterward.

I would strongly recommend this book to someone interested in Russian or European history.

A Big Disappointment........2006-05-28

I was very enthusiastic about getting to this book. I have a degree in Soviet History and wanted to learn more about this character. Like other reviewers, I just could not get into this book. The writing style was dry as a bone and this chore was left undone. Nice cover but I'd steer clear of this failed attempt to portray a fascinating figure in Russian History.

Difficult to Read Biography of Ivan the Terrible.......2006-03-06

This biography of the 16th century Russian Tsar Ivan IV, or Ivan the Terrible is a certainly a well thought out and deep exploration of the life and reign of this eccentric and terrible autocrat.

That said, it is a very academic treatment and the organization and prose make it an extremely difficult read for the layperson. I have read a lot of Russian history, including very academic works, and I found this biography a real chore to read and understand. Unless you have a very good background in Russian history, I would not recommend this biography.

A real slog!.......2006-01-24

I'm usually pretty forgiving about the writing in books about history, and I particularly enjoy reading Russian history, but this book was just too much for me! When reading a book becomes a chore I know that it's not written in an average reader friendly style. One of the other reviewers states that the book was more of a textbook than a biography, and I couldn't agree more with that assessment. Too many names, too many unusual terms, and no real continuity to the history made for a very confusing book about what should have been a very interesting subject.

Average customer rating:

More research and less supposition needed.
Great book!
Informative and Entertaining, very recommened
The Russian Dracula
A Medieval Stalin

Ivan the Terrible
Henri Troyat
Manufacturer: Phoenix Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1842124196

Book Description

The author of the best-selling Tolstoy, winner of France's prestigious Prix Goncourt, member of the Académie Française, and renowned expert on Russia paints yet another indelible portrait of one of Russia's imposing historical figures. Henri Troyat, author of acclaimed biographies of Catherine the Great, Tolstoy, and Turgenev, turns his attention to one of the most violent, demented rulers ever, Czar Ivan IV. Though this larger-than-life ruler inflicted torture on friends and enemies alike, destroyed villages and even killed his own son, he also forged what became 20th-century Russia.

Customer Reviews:

More research and less supposition needed........2007-07-24

The infamy of Ivan The Terrible has lasted for centuries but if you are looking for insight into this tyrant's reign of terror I would suggest you look elsewhere. The author generally replaces supposition for research and this becomes a boring collection of Ivan's deprivations, without a solid historical context. Yes, the man was a horrific figure, but without a better sense of time and place, there is no understanding of the man and what motivated him. I gleaned more information from the book's chronology then I did from the text. A failure as a biography, but could be used as the basis for a horror movie.

Great book! .......2007-07-22

I knew nothing about history and decided to start learning. I was looking for something readable and easy to understand. I found the book very readable, but I wouldn't call it a page-turner. It was easy to understand, and I didn't feel like the author was expecting me to come to the book with previous knowledge. The book was brief, but I did not feel anything was missing. I did like that it described his relationship with the other Monarchs/Emperors/Popes of time, which I think really put it in context of other events going on (plus there is a nice chronology appendix that shows where events in Ivan's life compares to other European events). I would have given the book 5 stars if 1) It was more of a page-turner (but do not hesitate to buy, it was very interesting and I read it in spurts and finished in two days), 2) It had a few maps and family trees, 3) The book was a bit prettier (I like to have something nice on my shelf). I was displeased that there were so many people of prominence with either the same first name or last name, harder to keep straight, but that was hardly the author's fault!

Informative and Entertaining, very recommened.......2004-07-24

I think this biography gives a good overview of Ivan the Terrible. I didn't know anything about him before reading this book and I feel that now I know more than enough. What a terrible person! I agree that it leaves you wanting to know more about other persons mentioned in the book, but that is fine with me since I will look for biographies on those persons to keep learning as much as I can about Russian History. The book is easy to read (not like some historical biographies).

The Russian Dracula.......2003-10-21

In density of content this book is hardly more informative than a chapter in a year-long course in Russian history. It is therefore greatly disappointing. This appears in part due to Troyat's being a professional writer rather than an historian, but in part due to poverty of original sources, as he notes. There is a consistent theme in this book, that Russian Orthodox Christianity produced the monster and, more exactly, it created people's willingness to accept the monster's actions. More generally, the theme may be stated as the proposition than once people separate themselves from realizing the true relationship between logic and natural law, they are left open to all sorts of nonsense. One element of the psyche of Ivan which deserves the attention it gets, that Ivan actively and consciously engaged in kindness and cruelties he knew to be totally undeserved, therefore emulating his image of God, with Whom, according to the author, he identified himself. The reader is left to the inevitable realization that this is the antithesis of justice. While this appears to be what was in Ivan's mind, the book lacks scholarly proof. There are unwarranted novelistics aspects to the book. The author has Ivan believing that a genetic mixing of the Russian and the Mongol peoples would result in an eugenic improvement of the Russian people, but he gives no evidence that Ivan ever had such a thought. There is no documentation given that Ivan believed his first, beloved wife was murdered. The author presents Ivan's leaving Moscow and threatening to leave the crown as pure stratagem in order to gain unquestioned power and undo the boyars, which seems probable, but no evidence is provided. The character, intellect and cunning of Boris Godunov are touched upon, though slightly. In the end, the saga of Ivan the Terrible and the moral (if there is one) of this book is to lead the reader to see more clearly the value of limited, constitutional government. One aspect of Russian character comes through, though unstated: The ready willingness of the nobility, though not to populace, to rid themselves of weak Czars like Ivan VI, Peter III, Alexander II, Nicholas II contrasted against the lack of even an attempt by a Russian to kill Ivan the Terrible. Only one, condemned, Livonian German is reported to have tried to kill Ivan. In this way, also, Ivan IV seems much like Stalin.

A Medieval Stalin.......2003-06-14

Lately I have been reading a lot about Russian and Soviet history and one thing that becomes very clear, is that for centuries the Russian people have had to endure some of the most barbaric, inhuman rules ever to roam the earth. During the mid-1500's, Ivan the Terrible decimated cities simply out of boredom or jealously. People around him died for no other reason than he wanted them to. The Russian populace endured almost unbelievable cruelty, yet always believed in their "father" and never really questioned his authority or even his sanity.
Author Troyat does a magnificent job of making Ivan a real person. Orphaned at a young age and mistreated by the boyars around him, Ivan spent his adult life as a pious mass murderer. Ordained by God to rule as he pleased, Ivan never questioned his cruelty and went to this death blaming others for the events that he himself caused. I have read several other Troyat biographies of famous Russians, and his is one of his best.

Ivan the Terrible: The Film Companion (KINOfile)

Average customer rating:

Well-researched and insightful book
A New Look at an Old Classic

Ivan the Terrible: The Film Companion (KINOfile)
Joan Neuberger
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1860645607

Book Description

Eisenstein's last, unfinished masterpiece is a strange, complex and haunting film. Commissioned personally by Stalin in 1941, Ivan the Terrible placed Eisenstein in the paradoxical situation of having to glorify Stalinist tyranny in the image of Ivan without sacrificing his own artistic and political integrity--or his life. Drawing on sources that include Eisenstein's personal archive and the memoirs of those involved in the film's making, Joan Neuberger's vivid account reveals how, in almost impossible circumstances, Eisenstein managed to create a film of cinematic innovation, intellectual depth and political critique. She reveals the film to be both a great work of art and a product of the time and place in which it was made.

Customer Reviews:

Well-researched and insightful book.......2007-07-03

Neuberger's book is, like my title suggests, very well-researched and insightful. It's a must-have for anyone interested in the latest research done on this film. She's very thoughtful and balanced in her approach of evaluating the film, and I think that's highly admirable.

A New Look at an Old Classic.......2005-05-27

"Ivan the Terrible" is a film that hasn't really gotten its due from American writers. It has been dismissed as "Asian" and thus "unfathomable by the Western mind" or has gotten wrapped up in Cold War attitudes (namely that Part I is pro-Stalinist and "bad" and Part II is anti-Stalinist and "good.")

Neuberger's book sweeps away all those preconceptions and looks at how the film was made (in Alma Ata during WWII), what was made, and what was prevented from being made. As a result, Eisenstein's intentions (and dangerous predicament) in handling such a project come into focus. He tried to mix sympathy for Ivan, and Ivan's historic mission, with a sense of the tragedy that Ivan's bloodletting meant for Russia and Ivan himself. Unsurprisingly, this proved too risky a trick to pull off in Stalin's USSR, and the film was taken away from Eisenstein and was shelved.

The book brought back vivid memories of Eisenstein's film, even though I haven't seen it in years. It made me want to see it again. This book is essential reading for those interested in Eisenstein, Soviet cinema and how historical figures are used by later generations. Strongly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Lacking heart
The Xanadu Adventure
Review of Xanadu
Vesper Holly Shines to the End!
And so it ends

The Xanadu Adventure
Lloyd Alexander
Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0525473718

Book Description

Lloyd Alexander's beloved Indiana Jones-style heroine, Vesper Holly, is back for one last adventure. Delving into the mystery of the origins of Western civilization, Vesper and her friends set out for the site of the legendary Troy, only to fall into a trap laid by the despicable Dr. Helvitius. Helvitius imprisons the companions in the palace he calls Xanadu, and Vesper will need all her intellectual cunning to engineer an escape. Lloyd Alexander's clever storytelling is as polished and delightful as ever, and his many fans will thrill to the return of his most brilliant leading lady.

Customer Reviews:

Lacking heart.......2007-05-11

The Xanadu Adventure, published a full 15 years after the somewhat open-ended "Philadalphia Adventure," attempts to put a definitive end to the adventures of Vesper Holly. In retrospect, the plot is solid traditional Holly fare. The execution, however, is severely lacking.

Unfortunately, simply too much time has passed between the writing of the last book and this one. At one point in Xanadu, the characters remark how an author can lose his inspiration. The same seems to have happened with Mr. Alexander in this book. More specifically, he seems to have lost a grasp of the characters and what made the series tick in the first place. If his name wasn't on it, I'd swear it was written by a different author.

As I said, the plot is solid, and there are times when the dialogue is pure Vesper Holly classic. Unfortunately, there are some serious problems with the characters overall that are just impossible to overlook. Often Alexander has them saying lines that are basically making them caricatures of themselves. Vesper, for example, repeatedly refers to Brinnie as her "dear old tiger," which is a reference to a few lines in the first book of the series, but instead of invoking a clever tie-in, just comes across as hoakey and false.

The voice of the novels, "Brinnie," is the biggest disappointment. His character comes across as ignorant and silly at times instead of the steadfast, loyal companion to Vesper he has been in the past. For example, at one ridiculous moment, he threatens to cut someone's mustache down to its roots with a butter knife. Lines like this would never had existed in the original series.

Also lacking are the clever observations by Brinnie that made the original books so witty. All we ever get are his thoughts on how to handle situations, instead of getting actual analysis on how others are behaving. He seems -- I don't know, self-absorbed, in a way. Even then, he's the only character who really comes across as three-dimensional. Even Vesper, supposedly the star, seems relegated to some sort of ensemble cast, and therein is the book's biggest problem: Alexander forgets in this book that when it comes right down to it, the Vesper Holly series is not an ensemble, it's an adventure series whose highest points come in the relationship between Vesper and Brinnie. The two of them do not carry on a single conversation throughout the entire book without other characters nearby and the book loses its heart because of this.

And, of course, there's Helvitius, one of the greatest my favorite villain of all time. His character sadly degenerates here into some type of a sad imitation of its former self, where he's relegated to some moustache-twirling villain of silent movies. It's just a waste, really.

Also, unless you are a student of Greek mythology, the endless quoting and references to Trojan horses et al. is probably going to come across as a bit heavy-handed, far moreso than previous installments in the series.

SPOILER ALERT!

One final thing -- the book ends with a very sweet, sentimental ending that should have, could have worked, but doesn't, because of the background to it. Essentially, Vesper marries the Weed two-thirds through the book in a whirlwind wedding that hardly gives room to breathe. It's simply out of character for the heroine -- not in the fact that she would get married, since I always assumed she would, but because in doing so she hardly even speaks at all of the affair to Brinnie, even knowing full well she'll be leaving him. Those who read the previous books know that, as free a heart as she has, the person who really occupied it was Brinnie, and the fact that the two never even converse about the fact that she is getting married just comes across as false.

The Xanadu Adventure.......2007-03-10

I've purchased a lot of Lloyd Alexander books to give to my grandchildren. I think that the Holly Vestper books are actully written at an easier reading level than the conceptional level warrants. Actually some appreciation for geography and cultures came be developed. The humor is great, even though after a couple of books, they become predictable, like a trade mark.

Review of Xanadu.......2005-09-16

In 1876, the beautiful, courageous Vesper Holly of Philadelphia
finagles her guardians,Mary and Brinton Garrett, into accompanying her and her persistent friend and admirer, Tobias Wistar Passavant (nicknamed "The Weed,")to Troy. Brinnie rightly protests that no one knows the location of Troy. Vesper, never one to be deterred by such a minor detail, explains that Troy is now known to be in Asia Minor near the Dardanelles Straits. Tobias has a theory that Greece is not the real cradle of Mediterranean civilization but that Troy is. Brinnie, who has accompanied Vesper on her other many adventures, is not eager to go on one instigated by The Weed. He nevertheless soon finds himself bundled onto a ship with Mary and the two young people sailing toward a mythical city - never suspecting that the unmourned, dead archvillain, Dr. Helvetius, is not. He has not only survived but he controls their movements from the time they step aboard. Dr. Helvetious has two passions - world domination and Vesper Holly. Through a corrupted scholar and archeologist, he guides Vesper and company to his latest dwelling, Xanadu, built to mimic the Coleridge poem. World domination he has in his sights through his monopoly of a new product called "oil," and Vesper is in his clutches.

While Vesper doesn't have an understated bone in her body and flings herself into her final adventure with wit and verve, her author, who obviously loves this character and uses Brinnie as his alterego, is a master of understated humor and irony. Shot through with the author's trademark humor and nonstop action,this final adventure ends on a surprising and touching note. It contains hidden poignancy when this alterego goes where
his author cannot go.

Vesper Holly Shines to the End!.......2005-06-09

Lloyd Alexander gives us yet another delightful and intriguing adventure, with his gutsy, intelligent, fearless heroine leading her trusty band of fellow travelers. Like each of the five previous Vesper Holly adventures, this book could be read on its own. But we highly recommend starting at the beginning with The Illyrian Adventure. These are characters you'll want to spend lots of time with. We're especially grateful to Mr. Alexander for finishing up this thriller, and the series, in such a heartwarming and satisfying way. We are able to say goodbye to Vesper, knowing she's moving on in life in such an optimistic way. Bravo Lloyd Alexander!

And so it ends.......2005-02-25

Lloyd Alexander created a sort of female Indiana Jones in Vesper Holly, a cool, cultured adventure gal. Now in "The Xanadu Adventure," Alexander winds up the series with a final tense adventure, and a surprising -- and deeply satisfying -- finale. If only most series went out so gracefully.

Vesper Holly loves archaeology and adventure. So when she is told that archeologist Herr Schliemann has found the ruins of ancient Troy, she's determined to go investigate further. So she and her friends Brinnie, his wife Mary, and the knowledgeable oddball The Weed (not his real name) set out to Hissarlik. But things rapidly go awry.

A sinister boat captain dumps them off in the wrong place, and a sputtering archaeologist -- who claims he, not Schliemann, has found Troy -- turns out to be working for the malevolent Dr. Helviticus. And this time, the doctor has far-reaching plans not only to take control of the world's oil, but to rule the world itself from his own luxurious Xanadu...

In a sense, "The Xanadu" adventure is Alexander at his best. The story moves fast, the settings are exotic yet familiar, and there's a good blend of humor and action -- one of the best scenes is when an opulent palace goes up in flames, courtesy of Helviticus's superweapon. Alexander also indulges a more scholarly side -- he focuses on Schliemann and the discovery of Troy to kick off the adventure. Later on, Helviticus quotes extensively from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's legendary "Kubla Khan," which Helviticus's own Xanadu is based on.

But Alexander didn't just intend for this to be another Vesper Holly adventure. Sadly, it's the last one. So he wraps up a few personal threads for Holly, both involving Helviticus and concerning a certain young man. Alexander dips out of the action near the ending for a startlingly romantic scene, and the final scene is one of the sweetest he has ever written.

Maybe the best thing about the Vesper Holly adventures is that Alexander doesn't turn her into a Lara Croft type. No blasting guns and acrobatics. Vesper uses her brain and wit as weapons against her brilliant opponent, with the assistance of her loyal pals. Although I did keep wondering why Helviticus would tell her every detail of his master plan as he did. Evil genius' prerogative, I suppose.

The Vesper Holly series goes out with a bang in "The Xanadu Adventure," which is a good adventure in its own right, and a good final adventure for Vesper and Co.

Average customer rating:

THE MARCH OF MUSCOVY IVAN THE TERRIBLE

Manufacturer: Garden City Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H48UYW

The Domostroi: Rules for Russian Households in the Time of Ivan the Terrible

Average customer rating:

Translation errors...
Russian ettiquitte
Domostroi -- Life in Old Russia

The Domostroi: Rules for Russian Households in the Time of Ivan the Terrible

Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801496896

Book Description

Winner of the 1994 Heldt Prize from the Association of Women in Slavic Studies

A detailed and colorful instruction manual on household management in sixteenth-century Russia, the Domostroi gives a fascinating glimpse of the world of the nobility. This "how-to" guide is one of the few sources on the social history and secular life of Russia in the time of Ivan the Terrible. Carolyn Johnston Pouncy here offers, with an informative introduction, the first complete English translation.

Customer Reviews:

Translation errors..........2005-02-03

I'm sorry to say that having read this translation and having done my own from the period Russian source, the author has several important errors that will mislead users. I would recommend getting someone to do an accurate translation of the original text if at all possible prior to purchasing this book. If that is unavailable, then this is the only other option.

Russian ettiquitte.......2003-12-02

The Domostroi is part "Miss Manners" part "Better Homes and Gardens" for Russia under the Czars. It is a fascinating glimpse at another time in a very foreign place.

The book discusses a wide variety of daily rituals and domestic tasks to be done by various members of the household. For example, there are instructions on subjects as varied as "How to Invite Priests and Monks Into One's House to Pray", "How a Good Woman Supervises Her Domestic's Needlework" to "Recepies for All Sorts of Honey Drinks: How to distill and brew." The information, while dry, gives the reader a very clear understanding of what daily life was like in Russian in the 15th and 16th centuries.

While probably not of interest to all, it certainly is a marvelous resource to those seeking a deeper understanding of the "Russian soul."

Domostroi -- Life in Old Russia.......2001-07-20

One of the best ways to get to know a people is to learn what they believe, value, love, honor, and what they fear, loathe, and seek to avoid. One of the best guides to these attitudes and beliefs is what they do; this is the work they looked to to find out what to do. To learn it in their own words, articulately expressed and classically framed is a treat. To find it in a book that generations of a nation kept as their practical handbook for daily life is a marvel. It's like a combination of Emily Post, Betty Crocker, and the Old Farmer's Almanac, with elements of the Book of Common Prayer thrown in. You won't find critical analysis, postmodern theory, contextualization or anything condescending here -- just their own values and rules for living, as they held them. It ain't everything, but it sure is a leg up on knowing what even modern Russians are about. And it is intensely amusing. Communism, Maffia and modernity have taken their toll, but old Orthodox Slavic values are alive especially among some more traditional emigrees. You will find their prescription for living here, flatfooted, naive, often amiable, occasionally hilarious, and sometimes enough to make a genteel modern person cringe. Whether you want to revive it, analyze it, critique it, or just understand it, this gives enormous insight into a tradition we need to know about. It is of the nature of "source material," unless you are a Russian in search of a reference work for life. But it is well done, an important work to have translated. For anyone planning to visit Moscow during the rule of Ivan Grozny, this is almost the first thing to pack in your time machine--maybe right after your kaftan, axe, Slavonic Prayer Book and "prazdniki"-- travelling icon. It is well enough translated and introduced, but the text itself is its own best reason to be and be read. Pouncy does well to let it be in a good, accessible form, in our language, in our alien world.

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Ivan the Terrible, Op. 116: Full Score

Manufacturer: Sikorski
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3920880773

Book Description

Text in German, Russian and English.

Armies of Ivan the Terrible: Russian Troops 1505-1700 (Men-at-Arms)

Average customer rating:

lack of coherence and originality
About Time
Great potential, mediocre outcome
Welcome Addition to the Osprey Line

Armies of Ivan the Terrible: Russian Troops 1505-1700 (Men-at-Arms)
David Nicolle
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1841769258
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Book Description

It is generally assumed that the military reforms which propelled Russia into the modern world were due solely to the genius of Peter the Great. In fact, his reforms were built upon changes that had taken place during the previous 200 years, since the creation in 1550 of Russia's first full-time military force (the streltsi) by Ivan IV the Terrible. This account traces Russia's armies from that beginning, through the creation of paid regular regiments from1630, up to the reign of Peter the Great. It is illustrated with rare early drawings, photos of surviving artifacts, and dazzling colour reconstructions of exotic military costumes.

Customer Reviews:

lack of coherence and originality.......2006-04-08

This book-let should be cited as a exmaple of how not to write works on historical subjects. The subject matter should be covered in 2-3 books Osprey-style, and still the material would have to be constrained to fit them. The Polish-Lithuanian title from Osprey consisted of 2 books yet it covers a bit less time frame - 1569-1696AD, and Russian armies did undergo more changes etc. Was this shortness of material caused by lack of knowledge on part of the authors?
The title alone is so... deceiving. Was Ivan IV the Terrible alive in the year 1500 AD? No, he was not, but his father was who actually set Russia on her path of the neverending territorial growth. Ivan IV assumed the trone in 1547, when
he came of age, and reformed the country ( also creating the first standing army - the strelets).
Where are the Don Cossacks, their organization and their fabulous conquest of Siberia? nowhere to be found!
What the hell are the Lithuanian warriors doing in this book? Lithuania was conquered by Russian in 1795, but prior to that time she was an independed country, with its traditions, language, armies etc. This Lithianian inclusion was also perpetrated in the 'Medieval Russian Armies 2' title of the same team, where all of the sudden Lithuania became part of so called "Western Russia" (known since the inception in the 10th century as Bielaruss).
Ukraine is also treated as part of Russia, and the Cossacks described here are the Zaporozhains - well, this is straight from the texts of the imperial Russian historians of the 19th century and their communist marxists followers of Soviet Union.
The reforms of the 1620 and 1440s are not given any adequate treatment, nor one can find any illustrations of the reformed, very Western looking army of the 1650-60s, the time of the terrible war with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which nota bene Russia did not win, suffering terrible defeats one after another.
And so on and so forth...
Mr Shpakovsky might be a friend of Osprey Publishing editors, but he is a not a scholar nor authority of any sort in the Russian modern history, and rather a laughing stock in Russia proper - almost 20 years in his doctoral studies and yet to get his Phd degree (sic!)
Illustrations - nothing original, and actually some of them copied exactly from Mr. Gorelik's Montvert book titled 'Warriors of the Eurasian Steppe").
In summ, for 10 US dollars this appears to be not a bad deal, but what exactly one will be buying? My answer is that this is nothing but a convoluted, Soviet-style, terribly unimaginative and inoriginal material with some rather inogininal illustrations, Mr. McBride does save their skin here.
Was this title needed then? Perhaps, and after reading this Nicolle-Shpakovsky team work I believe the goal has not been achieved. Please someone, do a nice, thorough book on the subject, with some good illustrations etc.

About Time.......2006-03-11

It's about time someone took the time to write and illustrate this amazing era in Russian history. The team of David Nicolle and Angus McBride never dissapoint. The addition of Russian author V. Shpakovsky is also welcomed...and gives a real insight into the era. Very few can challenge Mr. Nicolle on Islamic History and equally few can challenge Mr. McBride on Historical Illustration. I am happy to own an actual plate from this book...and my best friend has one as well. They are all beautifully rendered.

It's a rich and colorful history and once digested will give you a much better understanding of the thought and vision of Peter the Great, who followed...and what has become the beginings of modern Russia.

Great potential, mediocre outcome.......2006-02-23

I preordered this book with the greatest excitement. I had been wondering if Osprey would ever cover 16th and 17th C. Muscovy. Being a writer myself, I would have proposed this book had I not been locked in the NW USA with mediocre Russian language skills and no access to original sources, battlefields, and equipment. Unfortunatley Shpakovsky and Nicolle, who between them had everything I did not, did not write anything in this book that I didn't already have in English-language secondary sources. (I'll make a concession here - the section on fortifications has some very interesting marterial)

The first star I give just for somebody writing a book on this sorely neglected subject. I give the second star for all of the photographs of period pictures and military equipment. I would have bought the book just for them.

After these items, though, I can't say much for the book. The research seems to have been lazy and carries a very heavy "Great Russian" bias. I can inderstand this so some extent - all historians have their biases (although mature historians are aware of their own biases and try to cover the bases a bit more), but some of the comments are simply demeaning to Russia's neighbors. Choice was the timeline entry for the 1648 Cossack uprising - here called "the war to unite the Ukraine with Muscovite Russia," an description of the events that was formed only in the 1950s in Soviet Russia. This indicated not only bias, but poor research.

The plates are enjoyable, but have a distrubingly sharp resemblance to the plates of M.V. Gorelik's "Warrior's of Eurasia." Unfortunatley this book is out of print. But it seems that almost every figure from Gorelik's plates that was relevant to this topic has been copied right down to the details. I know that they would both be based on similar original sources, but the consistency of the similarities is disturbing. Unlike many of Nicolle's other (very good) Osprey works, no sources are given for the plates). Also, some of the plates are not as relevant to the test - esp. the Cossacks. The text deals mostly with the Don and other Eastern Cossacks, yet the plate only shows Ukrainian/Zaporozhian Cossacks. Finally, although I enjoy McBride's work, it seems a little rough here. The horses, especially, are starting to look a little disproportionate and wierd! (just see the fron t cover pic.)

Ultimately, I just hope (although I fear that this is the case) that Osprey and other publishers will not neglect this niche of history, thinking that it has been "filled" by this book. I'm afraid we just get one book on this topic, and it's just not very good.

Welcome Addition to the Osprey Line.......2006-02-18

A much needed addition to the Osprey line. The title can be a bit deceiving, as the book is not strictly about Ivan the Terrible's army, but covers a 200 year period beginning before Ivan's reign and finishing at the beginning of Peter I's ascension to the throne.

The authors are David Nicolle, an Osprey hall-of-famer, and V Shpakovsky, a newer author who is becoming one of my favorites. The main thesis seems to be that Peter's refoms didn't happen out of nowhere, but were built on the innovations of his predecessors. I remain unconvinced on this issue. Still, the volume has more than enough to recommend it.

Beginning with a quick look at the Russian army in 1500, the authors go on to describe Ivan's innovations, including the Streltsi, Oprichniki, improvements in the cavalry and artillery. A look at the Russian army in the 17th century follows including fortisfications. A brief section on the Cossacks and Lithuania closes out the text. There is not much on the actual campaigns and battles, but rather the focus is on organization, technology and uniforms.

Angus McBride does the color plates. I am not a big fan of Mr. McBride's, which in fairness, probably puts me in the minority, but its my opinion. I find his figures biomechanically challenged and lacking continuity or rhythm. The plates do however convey the necessay information well.

The March of Muscovy: Ivan the Terrible and the Growth of the Russian Empire 1400 - 1648

Average customer rating:

The March of Muscovy: Ivan the Terrible and the Growth of the Russian Empire 1400 - 1648

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GVS9FG

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