No comments about Russian a Language Map (Language Map Series).

2 comments about Fodor's Moscow and St. Petersburg, 5th Edition: The Guide for All Budgets, Completely Updated, with Many Maps and Travel Tips (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. Of the various travel guides to the area I have consulted I particularly like this edition from Fodor's. The information is arranged in a logical way and is invaluable for planning a trip. And planning such a trip is very important even with the changes in today's society. Even for those not traveling this book can serve as a pleasant reminder of earlier visits. It deserves a place on the traveler's bookshelf.



2. This is a great book for planning your trip, what to see, etc. It's up to date, and the maps of these old cities are impeccable. What it doesn't give you is a sense of what Russia is like these days--something hard to get into words. For that, take a look at "The Chess Artist," by Hallman. Less maps, but a real sense of how weird Russia can get.

1 comments about The Fine Art of Russian Laquered Miniatures.

1. This is a large, excellent book on the traditional Russian art of lacquered miniature painting. Over 250 color reproductions of the works of Masters are featured. This is really the definitive book on the craft. The art is famous for its tiny, but finely-detailed illustrations of folk tales or village life, painted free-hand with a homemade brush of a single squirrel or sable hair. Real gold leaf and mother-of-pearl insets add to the beauty and value of the paintings, which are created on papier-mache' shkatulki (boxes) or plaques. Many layers of lacquer finish the artwork, giving it a long-lasting, lustrous, three-dimensional quality (and incidentally, its name). Each creation can take several months, or as much as a year, to complete. Some of the rarest, most magnificent paintings are presented in these pages. The book contains a history of the craft and its Masters. Also included are short essays on each of the four schools -- the villages of Palekh, Kholui, Mstera, and Fedoskino -- which have produced generations of painters in this enduring and endearing folk art.

1 comments about Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment.

1. All too often people think of the Enlightenment as a group of smart people thinking about why we are so wonderful. The flip side of Enlightenment thinking is that to make Europeans seem so wonderful, the Philosophes described themselves against an Other, who possessed all the undesirable traits not accepted by the "Enlightened" people. Wolff shows how the Philosophes, with limited actual knowledge of Eastern Europe, used the civilizations east of Germany to show the benefits of living in the West. During the Enlightenment the language used to describe Eastern Europe ascribed barbaric qualities to the people and offered little faith that the people could ever "evolve" as Western Europeans had. Wolff uses maps and traveler's accounts to show the influence the philosphes had on perceptions of Eastern Europe. It is rather disconcerting to note that many of these same perceptions persist today.

1 comments about Insight FlexiMap Moscow (Flexi).

1. Love these maps!! They are detailed enough, but not too much, to help you get around to major sites.

No comments about Hammond International Norway/ Sweden (International Series).

3 comments about Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Former Soviet Union (Cultural Atlas of).

1. Loaded with pictures and maps, this cultural atlas of Russia is an excellent quick reference. Written concisely, it recounts major events/rulers in Russian history, putting them in perspective with regards to European history and, at least for me, clarifying some confusing areas (e.g. "The Time Of Troubles"). As a history major in college, I studied Russian history, but had forgotten many details. Was most pleased to discover this atlas and the easy-to-follow, refresher course it provided. Atlas is written in a reader-friendly fashion, easy to pick up after an interruption, and I expect it would be as interesting to a first time student of Russian history as it was to me.



2. This is a spectacular book. The historical coverage is broad and reasonably deep; the illustrations and explanatory sidebars are fun and well constructed; and the maps are a wonderful complement to the text. It was just so complete! Glorious period photos on every page: Trotsky, Stalin, Lenin, Alexander II. Stunning works of medieval and modern art. Unfortunately, the trailing atlas-style section was a bit weaker than the rest of the book, even if the photos were excellent. Albeit, I still think the photographic characterization of Moscow was trite: enough photos of the Kremlin and St. Basil's!



3. The information presented in this book is fabulous. I love the pictures as well. It's a great coffee table book if you just want to leave it out. And it looks great on a book shelf as well. However, as another reviewer already noted, the binding on this book is horrendous. Just taking it out of the shipping box and reading the first couple of pages was too much for it to handle. The cover is already nearly ripped from the book, and the individual pages are all falling out. I tried putting it back together with some glue, but it didn't work. It just keeps coming apart. It seems deplorable to charge so much for a book that will not even withstand a single reading. For this reason, I gave the book five stars for the info, but no stars for the construction. I split the difference and came up with the 3 star rating.
   
   In short, if you just want the info and don't care how the book looks after your reading- go for it. But, if you're like me, and prefer your books to be in good, presentable shape, then no dice. It's just not worth it.

5 comments about Off the Map: Bicycling Across Siberia.

1. Seems like the author is trying to pretend to be this geat hero riding his iron stallion across the frozen reaches of Siberia.

   I found him to be a true bore. Out running and out smarting Soviet KGB agents on a bicycle? Oh please!

   If you want to read a true adventure, read Miles From Nowhere by the late Barbara Savage.




2. Mark Jenkins clearly did not like Russia and the system. I agree on his view of the old system, but my thoughts were again and again: What does he do there. He don't like it at all. In spite of all the trouble of Mark Jenkins, the fact is that a Russian biker crossed Russia one sea to another in 1967, 22 years before Jenkins. The first do cross all of Russia was a Dane, me, who did it in 1997 from Magadan to Kaleningrad (more to the East and more to the West than Jenkins route). The brother of Fjordor Koinikov (who followed Jenkins), Nikolai, tried to do it before me. He failed because of cold. I succeed because I loved Siberia. Jenkins hated it.



3. Jenkins does an excellent job of conveying the feelings he experienced during this trip. Sometimes spirits were low and sometimes they were high. His writing captures the reality of the trip and reveals the spirit of the Russian people with great emotion. I disagree with the review above that states Jenkins hated Siberia. He clearly had a great appreciation for the people he met there and valued his experience. It was obvious that he had a problem with Communism, and hence did not understand the Soviets. This is a book about people. Who cares whether they were the first group to ride across the country? The objective of the book was to describe a journey, and that has been done very well.



4. This is an excellent book. It offers a brief peek into the vast Russian hinterland that plodded along under the Soviet shroud. Russia is not Moscow. It's written sometime in the late 80's, not long before the USSR collapsed, and shows us people who's main priority is survival, not Communism. Jenkins writes in a rambling style that paints a vivid picture. Having gone to Russia since reading it for the first time, I can say the picture is very accurate.



5. The title says it all. This book is filled with intriguing stories filled with symbolism and philosophy. Also a great book to read if you like biking or want to learn some history about Russia and the Soviet Union.

No comments about Russia/CIS Map (Country Road & Touring).

No comments about Russia Map by ITMB (International Travel Maps).