Customer Reviews

Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family Albums

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To leaf through the pages of this book for a Romanov enthusiast such as myself is truly a moving experience. I particularly like the photographs of the Grand Duchesses having reached womanhood. This book unlike many others I have encountered provides us the reader with an (dare one say it) almost 'too' intimite insight into the family's day to day lives. One senses the individuals as they actually were....., rather than as court photographs typically portray them. Photographs perhaps more than any other medium serve to remind us that people before us were just as much flesh and blood as we are, 'The family albums' has demonstrated this fact admirably.

There are many books of pictures of the Romanov family, but Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family Albums by Prince Michael of Greece is probably the best of the bunch. Since Nicholas became tsar and husband at almost the same time, their family life is very well documented in pictures. There are the usual official photographs taken by professional photographers. But the Romanov's were also big shutterbugs. They all owned cameras and it is in these candid shots that we really get a chance to see life within the palace walls. In addition to formal portraits, we see the Imperial Family at work, at play, on vacation and just relaxing. We also see extended family members (most of them European royalty from England, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and others). Many of these photographs were taken from the albums of individual family members, and were hidden in communist archives. They were only made available after perestroika.

This book also gives us a glimpse of the many residences of the Romanov's. While the Alexander Palace was their primary home, they also spent time in the Crimea (Livadia Palace), Spala (their hunting lodge in Poland), Standart and Polar Star (Imperial Yachts), and The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Some of these photographs are of never before seen interior shots.

Nicholas and Alexandra are criticized for being ineffective rulers, but in one thing they can't be faulted--they were loving and devoted parents. The closeness of their family life comes through very clearly in The Family Albums. There are also pictures of their captivity, that are extremely haunting. But looking at this book just magnifies the tragedy of their fate. They gave up not just palaces, jewels, clothes and priceless objects, but because of poor leadership, they also cost this beautiful family their lives. That is the most heartbreaking loss of all.

This book is a wonderful collection of pictures, nicely organized to bring out different dimensions of the story of Nicholas and Alexandra. However, I found two mistakes early into the book. The first was the the statement that Victoria Melita married Grand Duchess Boris, when in fact she married his brother, Cyril. The second was the statement that the marriage between Victoria Melita and her first Husband, Ernst of Hesse, foundered after the death of their daughter. In fact, the child's death occurred well after the separation of her parents. Given the author's family relationship with his subjects, these lapses are surprising and indicative of extremely careless editing. It causes me to discount the accuracy of the volume, overall.

It's really too bad that this wonderful book is out of print. It's a gold mine! The photographs are organized by year, making identification sooo much easier. To boot, the pictures are of marvellous quality - clear, even, nicely composed, and evocative. You'll put this one down feeling like you've had a visit with the Imperial family. Highly recommended - This book plus Massie's _Nicholas & Alexandra_ make an excellent Romanov 'starter set'. ;o)

This is one of the best Romanov albums that I own. I think it is defintely worth it! It is filled with beautiful and rare photos not published often. Although there are some date and place mislabelings here and there, it is not so bad as some other albums I have seen. If your main area of interest is NAOTMAA, in other words the Last Imperial Family, than this is the book for you. You will truly get a glimpse of the private lives of the family. This book is worth it's weight in gold!

This book is great in nearly every way. It is well organized by year and the photographs are very rare. The set up when it comes to the photographs needs work. Often, a photograph is cut in half by the center of the book. Despite this, it is one of the best books for Romanov fans and fans-to-be. To see the photographs shows you how Russia's last Imperial Family lived. Absolutely amazing and definitely a must read.

This album is incredible. The photos of the Imperial family are very moving. The book has been well put togather. Hats off to his HRH Prince Micheal of Greece!!

If you are interested in the last imperial family of Russia then this book should be in your collection. It concentrates on the family photos of the last Tsar and is mostly, but not entirely informal family pictures taken at home and public events. The book is arranged in a year by year basis, which can be handy in identifying the date of photos found in other sources.

Unfortunately, this book is hard to find now, and often expensive when you do find it. However, it is highly recommended for anyone interested in the Romanov's, especially those who are interested in the photography of the family as it is chocker-block full of rare images.

Nicholas and Alexandra the Family albums, is a wonderful book and a great add on to any collection. But have a lot of info mistakes about other royals in the book, very surprisingly to me since the author is related to them. But the photos are wonderful!

In my opinion "Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family Albums" is worth every penny. It contains some of the best pictures of this doomed family. Highly recommmended!