Teach Yourself Russian Language Life and Culture [Paperback]

Stephen Webber (Author), Tatyana Webber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0071396810 | ISBN-13: 978-0071396813 | Edition: 1

Teach Yourself Russian Language, Life and Culture delves into the customs and ways of Russia and its inhabitants, taking a respectful yet lively point of view. Topics include government, arts, language, work, leisure, education, festivals and celebrations, and food. By asking questions such as "What kind of music is native to Russia?" this book invites you to examine fascinating aspects of another culture.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

What is the mysterious Russian soul?

Where can you find palm trees in Russia?

How much has Russia changed since the end of Communist rule?

What do Russia's human 'walruses' do during the winter months?

This book answers these questions, and many more, in a concise and lively overview of Russia: the country, its heritage and its people. This is your key to understanding Russia's past, present and future...

About the Author

Tatyana Webber is a native of Yaroslavl, Russia. She is a high school teacher of Russian at the City Technology College, Kingshurst, Birmingham, England.

Dr Stephen Webber is an associate professor of Russian Studies at the University of Birmingham, England

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071396810
• ISBN-13: 978-0071396813
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,557,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Does Not Gibe With the Title, July 20, 2003

By 

"ksraper" (Katy, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Russian Language Life and Culture (Paperback)

I am a writer and I could have written this book in fifteen minutes using a Collier's Encyclopedia. It is terrible. Pay attention to the title that says teach yourself Russian CULTURE and HISTORY because it has nothing to do with teaching yourself Russian or Ukrainian. The book basically begins with an encyclopedia article on Ivan the Terrible and ends with an encyclopedia article on Boris Yeltsin. That's not Russian, that's not Ukrainian- it's nothing you didn't already know by spending a half an hour on the internet. Do Not Buy This Book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Previous reviewer misses point completely, February 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Teach Yourself Russian Language Life and Culture (Paperback)

The previous reviewer of this books gets it completely wrong - their lack of credentials to write a review is shown by their failure to appreciate the fact that Russian and Ukrainian are separate languages. This book is about Russian life and culture, and is NOT a language textbook. And excuse me, the whole point is you CAN'T find a summary of such a wide range of topics as covered in this book on any internet site or indeed any other book I can think of, hence the value of this book (as recognised by schools, universities and individual customers of the book in the UK). Take a look at the reviews on the amazon UK site, in the journal of the Russian teachers of the UK (Rusistika).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reader from Kazan, Russia, February 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Teach Yourself Russian Language Life and Culture (Paperback)

As a Russian studying in the UK, I am often asked a lot of questions about Russia by my British and iternational friends. Very often I did not have the answers! So, I was actually looking for a suitable source on Russia. This excellent book is the best of this kind - it manages to compress a great deal of information and insights about all aspects of Russian life into just some 250 pages. It is refreshingly free of the usual stereotypes about Russia, but is still realistic. So, for a taste of what Russia is, I can certainly recommend this book.