East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia [Hardcover]

Benson Bobrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1992

The history of the vast expanse of land that soon became the dreaded symbol of Soviet terror details Siberia's great events with portraits of the men and women who created or were crushed by them. 35,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As recounted by Bobrick, Russia's conquest of far-flung Siberia is a magnificent saga that rivals that of the settlement of the American West in its tragic drama. Lured by the prospect of a lucrative fur trade, small bands of Russians, convinced of their right to dispossess "inferior" peoples, subjugated Turkish and Mongol nomads, fueled intertribal warfare and destroyed native cultures through forced assimilation. Colonization sparked riots and populist uprisings in the 16th century. Modern times brought further disruption. The Trans-Siberian Railway, completed in 1901, enabled millions of peasants to migrate over the Urals. Under Lenin, shamans and other Siberian natives were annihilated. Stalin stepped up the collectivization of Siberian agriculture, causing famine and massacres. Possession of this resource-rich yet economically deprived region makes Russia today "potentially the richest nation on earth," writes Bobrich, biographer of Ivan the Terrible. He fills his narrative with descriptions of reckless Cossacks, polygamous Aleuts, Buddhist Buryats, explorers, exiles and Gulag prisoners. Illustrations.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The only up-to-date, general account of this huge land of climatic extremes, anthropological variety, and unparalleled natural resources, East of the Sun captures much of the inherent drama--from the original 16th-century explorations to contemporary problems of industrial pollution. The author of Fearful Majesty: The Life and Reign of Ivan the Terrible ( LJ 8/87), Bobrick again demonstrates his ability to produce interesting popular history; especially effective are the descriptions of Stalin's nightmarish Gulag and the ways in which an enormous, ever-shrinking frontier affected Russia's historical development. Despite its current agony, "With Siberia, Russia will continue to be by far the largest, and potentially the richest, nation on earth." For all libraries.
-Mark R. Yerburgh, Fern Ridge Community Lib., Veneta, Ore.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 542 pages
• Publisher: Poseidon Pr; 1ST edition (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671667556
• ISBN-13: 978-0671667559
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,890,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How the East was won, May 22, 2000

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest & Tragic History of Siberia (Hardcover)

There are a lot of parallels between the conquest of Siberia by Russia and the taming of the American West. For starters, there is the way each country treated the indigenous population as it conquered them. Compared to your avearge Cossack, George Armstrong Custer was a weeping humanitarian. This book follows the epic history of Siberia from the sixteenth century through the Bolshevik revolution that turned the countryside into a massive prison colony. Bobrick is an excellent storyteller and his history is as entertaining as it is informative.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Siberian epic, March 9, 2001

By 

"danielinyaracuy" (San Felipe, Yaracuy Venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia (Hardcover)

A pity that this book is out of print. A very intersting survey of the conquest of Siberia. Chilly and chilling even in its writing. No real glorious epic here although lots of gumption and bravery tales of the daring folks that settled Siberia. Just a tale of woe, but a woe that built a nation. Also a few questions about the mentality of a people still little known who forged itself in such hardship and near animalistic conditions. A must read to understand the influence of Siberia in today's Russia. One objection, many editing errors that cost it a star.

5.0 out of 5 stars remarkable journey through a tragic history, March 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest & Tragic History of Siberia (Hardcover)

Bobrick does an excellent job of tracking the long-suffering of Siberia and its peoples through many centuries. He also brings to life in vivid detail the adventures of some of the early explorers who journeyed with good or bad motives through that vast region. Some of the expeditions ended in the death for most if not all of those in the party, while other expeditions met with success through miraculous circumstances under the worst conditions.

The plight of the indigenous throughout it all makes the heart
want to cry out in protest. It certainly is a tragic history.