Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union [Hardcover]

R. R. Milner-Gulland (Author), Nikalai Dijeuski (Author), Robin Miner-Gulland (Author), Nikolai J. Dejevsky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cultural Atlas of | Publication Date: October 1998

With the onslaught of changes brought on by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and other current events, this long-awaited revision provides a spectacular recreation of a historical culture through a dazzling interplay of text, maps, and illustrations. Linking geography, history, archaeology, anthropology, and the arts, this volume presents a captivating survey of Russian civilization from prehistory to the present dayone that reveals Russia in all its variety and uniqueness.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for the previous edition:

"This work, like the series it joins, is superb." --Houston Chronicle

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books; Rev Sub edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816038155
• ISBN-13: 978-0816038152
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #311,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting, Easy-To-Read Overview, April 5, 2000

By 

FXO (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union (Hardcover)

Loaded with pictures and maps, this cultural atlas of Russia is an excellent quick reference. Written concisely, it recounts major events/rulers in Russian history, putting them in perspective with regards to European history and, at least for me, clarifying some confusing areas (e.g. "The Time Of Troubles"). As a history major in college, I studied Russian history, but had forgotten many details. Was most pleased to discover this atlas and the easy-to-follow, refresher course it provided. Atlas is written in a reader-friendly fashion, easy to pick up after an interruption, and I expect it would be as interesting to a first time student of Russian history as it was to me.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding work, August 23, 2006

By 

Bruce D. Wilner "Bruce David Wilner" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union (Hardcover)

This is a spectacular book. The historical coverage is broad and reasonably deep; the illustrations and explanatory sidebars are fun and well constructed; and the maps are a wonderful complement to the text. It was just so complete! Glorious period photos on every page: Trotsky, Stalin, Lenin, Alexander II. Stunning works of medieval and modern art. Unfortunately, the trailing atlas-style section was a bit weaker than the rest of the book, even if the photos were excellent. Albeit, I still think the photographic characterization of Moscow was trite: enough photos of the Kremlin and St. Basil's!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for the info and pictures, 0 stars for the binding., August 30, 2007

By 

A. Fossen (Central Jersey) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union (Hardcover)

The information presented in this book is fabulous. I love the pictures as well. It's a great coffee table book if you just want to leave it out. And it looks great on a book shelf as well. However, as another reviewer already noted, the binding on this book is horrendous. Just taking it out of the shipping box and reading the first couple of pages was too much for it to handle. The cover is already nearly ripped from the book, and the individual pages are all falling out. I tried putting it back together with some glue, but it didn't work. It just keeps coming apart. It seems deplorable to charge so much for a book that will not even withstand a single reading. For this reason, I gave the book five stars for the info, but no stars for the construction. I split the difference and came up with the 3 star rating.

In short, if you just want the info and don't care how the book looks after your reading- go for it. But, if you're like me, and prefer your books to be in good, presentable shape, then no dice. It's just not worth it.