Customer Reviews

Nicholas and Alexandra

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I hauled this huge & heavy tome home, sat before a roaring fire with a cup of tea, I suddenly remembered the fragile, jewel-encrusted old lady who lived in the apartment next to us, over-looking the rooftops of Little Venice in London. Nicholas & Alexandra opens at the entrance to The State Hermitage Museum with larger than life statues holding up the foyer roof; a beautiful start to a tour of a once-upon-a-time world of court portraitists, illustrators & painters. This is an extraordinary collection of memorabilia, haunting because their owners are all gone now & impressive because it is a measure of a nation's brilliant artisans & wealth.

For those who love reading about the Romanov's, Nicholas and Alexandra: The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia is one of the most beautiful and thrilling books available. This book was originally compiled as the exhibition catalog for the prestigious Nicholas and Alexandra Exhibit put on by the Broughton Company in Wilmington, Delaware. This 408 page tabletop book, is filled with incredible photos (most in color) of the close to 700 imperial items that were on display from the State Hermitage Museum and the State Archive of the Russian Federation.

Nicholas and Alexandra contains fabulous paintings, letters, gowns, diaries, photos, icons, Faberge' eggs, frames, jewelry, dishes, sculptures, flags, uniforms, military decorations, weapons, porcelain, toys, and gifts given to the royal family. It also includes a reproduction of Nicholas' library in the Winter Palace, as well as Tsarina Alexandra's grand piano, the throne from the Winter Palace and the coronation carriage originally designed for Empress Catherine II . The paintings of the royal wedding and Nicholas' coronation are especially impressive, while photos of items from their murder will leave you with a lump in your throat.

While this book is short on giving any kind of in-depth history about the Romanov family, it goes a long way in showing just how they lived. It's amazing to look at the dresses and uniforms and to realize that for positions larger than life, the Tsar and Tsarina were actually very small people. Nicholas was a rather short man at approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall. More than anything, you get a glimpse of the tragedy of their fates and the things they gave up because of Nicholas' misguided leadership. No wonder this story still haunts us--even after 87 years.

First time I saw this book, I wasn't very interested. But I bought it anyway because it was on sale, and I like to have everything Romanov. But as it turned out, it grew on me like a fungus. Now it is one of my treasures, I look through it often, it is so full of pictures of artifacts you won't see in any other Romanov book and it thus gives color to a world that is otherwise in black and white. Pictures of the members of the extended family were also fascinating and also got me interested in them, though NAOTMAA are still my favorites. What a pity I didn't get to see the exhibition, but this book is I think as close as you'll ever get to the real thing, unless you get the chance to see the palaces.

This book is published to be the exhibition catalogue to "NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA,THE LAST IMPERIAL FAMILY OF TSARIST RUSSIA" the wonderful exhibition that ran in Wilmington,De.from August 1998 thru February of this year. It is a must buy for those who want(ed ) to see the show but unable to attend. It catalogues more than 700 artifacts fom the Hermitage in St.Petersburg and the State National Archives in Moscow. Some of the documents from Moscow wre made public for the first time for the exhibition and shed new light on the lfe and demise of the last Romanov family. Readers of this book will want to see the exhibition and have maybe one more chance. It is currently showing in Mobile Al. thru November of this year. The book helps define a pivotal moment in our history by depicting the central character and his vulnerable family and it will help both the scholar and the interested regular 'joe' grasp the poignancy of the story with many hundreds of great photos and very rich informed text.

This book was a wonderful glimps into a time and place that no longer exist. Full of personal photos, notes to each other, and other momentos of the Last imperial family with translations of the words of the notes, and plenty of full color plates.

Opening this book was almost like stepping into a museum dedicated to the last tsar of Russia and his family. Another great addition to any personal library.

If you know nothing of Nicholas and Alexandra, this is not the book to buy. However, if the Romanovs already captivate you, you will be captivated by this book. The work catalogs many of the imperial family's possessions. The color photographs are stunning; I was particularly moved by the photo of the tsarevich's teddy bear. Such an intimate glimpse makes these people all too "real" (and, hence, their merciless slaughter all the more appalling). The book features the Romonov's ornate palaces, family and studio photographs, clothing, and much more. For the price, one cannot find a better photographic chronicle of the last Romanovs.

This book is a must have for those intrigued with Imperial Russia, particularly the last generations of the Romanovs and those close to them. Alexander III buffs will be especially pleased to find much material on his life, as well as details about other Romanov relatives, courtiers and clergy. One could be deleriously satisfied with just the hundreds of color plates by themselves as a collection, but the authoritative descriptions and background discussion accompanying them present a profoundly unique and exquisite marriage. Perhaps the most poignant aspect of all, is the element of atonement, evident in the love and respect put into the book and exhibition by the Russian curators, art experts and historians themselves. In short, it is a visual expression of "Memory Eternal" to those who lived a lost world.

This book is one of my treasures, and a must for anyone wishing to know more about the lost world of Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra. From menus of the coronation supper to artifacts found after the murders at Ekaterinburg, the life of the last Imperial family is presented in rich and poignant detail. The notes are also extremely well written, adding to the pleasure of this book.

This book provides a lush pictoral history of the last tsar of Russia and his family. Little known objects that belonged to the Romonov's and their private letters and pictures make their world come alive like no other book.

This is a catalog for an exhibition which runs through Dec. 98 in Wilmington, DE. The exhibition has a fabulous array of 700 letters, documents, diaries, clothing, portraits, and awe-inspiring items such as Faberge Easter eggs, crowns, a coronation coach, and the throne. It vividly illustrates the human side of the family, and these items can usuallly be seen only in Russia, so this book is a good way of seeing relics you might not be able to see otherwise.