(07-11-2015 01:34 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(06-20-2015 08:19 PM)dcCid Wrote:  

(02-22-2015 09:30 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 07:09 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  Went on a trip and didn't wanna carry Rise & Fall of the 3rd Reich, so I picked up Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie, who's a master of Russian history and whose previous book, Peter the Great: his life and times, I had read earlier in the year. Anyway, I finished the book about Catherine in a week, it was that good. I believe it was the best historical biography I've ever read. Don't know how many of you are fans of that era, but if so, I'd recommend giving this book a read.

Then while my return flight was delayed, I bought Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization. Another excellent read, and one that I nearly finished in one day. Again, quite good if you're a fan of stuff like that

I'm a fan of Russian history, thanks for the heads up on that first book.

The history channel did a series a while back about the zars and russian history. I thought it was excellent. May be available on demand.

Thanks! Anyway, my obsession with Russian history continues. I've now read books about Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra and just finished a fantastic and extremely detailed book about the revolution and the years leading up to it. It's called A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. Just started on a short book called Tsar Alexander I: Paternalistic Reformer. It's short and doesn't seem very scholarly so it shouldn't take me long

You'd enjoy this book then:



Having Alexander II around for another decade or so could have changed the Russia we know today into a constitutional monarchy instead.