Customer Reviews

The History of Russia: Seventh Revised Edition (Meridian)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John Lawrence's book provides a solid basis of information concerning the origin of Russia and the formation of her various governments. Information pertaining to more recent political events is not included, as the last publication date is 1993. Lawrence's book is handy and concise. It gives an overall picture of Russian cultural and political maturation, starting with the Viking explorers. Lawrence's book does not get bogged down in detail. The biographical bits regarding Russian leaders are just enough to inspire interest without detracting too much from the flow of the book as a whole. He chronicles the difficult relationship between the church and various governments throughout the country's existence. He simplifies Russian policitics, while providing a picture of the Russian mindset. This is a great jumping-off point for someone who wants to gain a general timeline of Russian leaders and events. Build your knowledge of Russian history by beginning here.

If this is the 7th Edition, the Author must be doing something right, or there simply aren't a whole lot of other books that present a broad historical chronicle of Russia. I suspect both are true.

I recommend this book to history buffs and people like myself, Russian literature enthusiasts who want to put their favorite novels in an historical context. For this, the Author has done a wonderful job of tackling a huge timeline and doing so in language that is accessible and at turns even humorous.

I'd recommend this book as a start, a primer....a jumping off point for more indepth study!

I used this for a course in Russia history up to the 1800's. I did not like it. Lawrence is dry and very old English. The information is brief, if anything. Please, do yourself a favor, don't buy this, just use Wikipedia. Much better, much more informed.

I won't take a long time here, but I didn't find the book to be very interesting or well written. I only read it out of my own curiosity (e.g. not for a class).