The Complete Wartime Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra: April 1914-March 1917 (Documentary Reference Collections) [Hardcover]

Joseph T. Fuhrmann (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313305110 | ISBN-13: 978-0313305115 | Publication Date: March 30, 1999

Nicholas and his German-born wife Alexandra generally used English in writing each other. This is the first complete edition of their letters and telegrams, plus English translations of the few telegrams in Russian. We see in these pages the enormous love the couple shared against the backdrop of a bloody war and the approaching end of the Russian empire. Alexandra offers extensive commentary on hospitals and the wounded (she was a volunteer nurse). Nicholas II reports on the military and the war effort. The growing influence of Rasputin is also thoroughly documented in these texts. The reader sees in detail the crises that led to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the collapse of the tsarist regime. Important for all students of late Imperial Russia and World War I, and essential for those interested in the Romanovs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This volume will be extraodinarily useful for those interested in 20th century Russia.”–Choice

“This edition is a grand achievement, and editor Joseph T. Fuhrmann should be congratulated....[T]his is the first time that an editor has tried to bring together in one volume the entire correspondence, letters and telegrams....Furhmann, has provided excellent annotations and footnotes.”–Royal Book News

“[A]n outstanding text, and a fascinating and challenging read. You may disagree with Fuhrmann's interpretation of the period, but you cannot doubt his achievement. In future, any serious students of the period, the subject or the personalities involved will find this book essential reference.”–Royalty Digest

About the Author

JOSEPH T. FUHRMANN is Professor of History at Murray State University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 784 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313305110
• ISBN-13: 978-0313305115
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Education & Reference > Genealogy > United Kingdom

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible evidence, June 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Wartime Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra: April 1914-March 1917 (Documentary Reference Collections) (Hardcover)

This united edition of the correspondence was long overdue. The letters of the Emperor and Empress appear together for the first time, cleansed of the transcription errors which spoiled the first (1923) edition of her correspondence, and of the tactful editing which expunged the more intimate passages from the 1929 version of his. Joseph Fuhrmann's footnotes are helpful, thoroughly researched and not unsympathetic to the writers. For students of Russian history, this book is an extraordinarily important source on the government of Russia immediately before the Revolution; it repays careful and open-minded reading. For those interested in the personal life and the characters of the last Tsar's family, it is arguably better still: here we have Nicholas II, affectionate and gentle, occasional author of rather poetic descriptions of scenery (this is not the Nicholas of the blandly factual diary). Here too his beloved Empress, sharp-tongued and energetic and interested in everything, very different to the tragic-eyed lady of legend. High politics and war jostle for attention with amusing little accounts of the childrens' activities, but there is never any doubt that the letters were written in serious times by people who understood and sought desperately to find a solution to the problems Russia faced. They certainly don't make light reading, but if you have the patience, these letters repay your perseverance.

6 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly thorough, and frequently, relentlessly boring., June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Wartime Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra: April 1914-March 1917 (Documentary Reference Collections) (Hardcover)

It's hard to believe these letters and telegrams were exchanged by a ruler and his wife under the immensely stressful conditions of WWI. I'm an aficionado of Imperial Russian History, but the unbelievable banality of this couple, relentlessly exposed in their own words is hard to take. A terrifically thorough book, it's a slow read--which certainly makes you feel you're getting your money's worth. I'm glad I bought it, and have learned more about these Romanovs even though their correspondence reveals shallowness and self-interest. Very good book, pitiful subjects.