The Cambridge History of Russia, Volume 1

Yes it did please me. Thanks for sending the book.

I am not a graduate student or professor of Russian or Slavic studies--the intended audience of this text. I am a Ph.D. student in comparative philosophy, but my motivations for reading this 850 page tome, and the two more volumes that follow it, are simply a fascination with Russian history and culture and wanting a strong foundation as I continue my explorations. This text will not disappoint those who share my interest and love of these vast and complex peoples.

The text is arranged thematically and chronologically with scholars contributing in areas of their expertise. The text does not explore the pre-history of the Russian people, but begins with the historical/legendary foundation of the ruling family of Rurik whose descendants, broadly construed, ruled over the Rus until the Romanovs, also distant relatives, gained control and were elevated as the rulers of Moscovy. As such, it traces their history from about the ninth century up to the beginning of Peter I's ("The Great") rule in 1682. To give the reader and idea of what this organization looks like, I've copied the headings of the three major sections as well as including a partial list of the individual entries that fall under the second major section.

I. Early Rus' and the Rise of Muscovy ( c.900-1462)

II. The Expansion, Consolidation and Crisis of Muscovy (1462-1613)

9 · The growth of Muscovy (1462-1533) 21 3

Donald Ostrowski

10 · Ivan IV (1533-1584) 240

Sergei Bogatyrev

11 · Fedor Ivanovich and Boris Godunov (1584-1605) 264

A. P. Pavlov

12 · The peasantry 286

Richard Hellie

13 · Towns and commerce 298

Denis Shaw

14 · The non-Christian peoples on the Muscovite frontiers 317

Michael Khodarkovsky

III. Russia under the First Romanovs (1613-1689)

The editor of the second volume states "I expect only the occasional martyr to read this book from cover to cover." This may be true of the first volume as well, but because of the nature of the text and its intend--a broad view of the history of 1400 years in 2400 pages--the engagement with each subject is not overly technical, meaning each entry is very readable. Also, because of the chronological arrangement one also follows the careers of Russian notables and the events that shaped the nation fairly well. The changes in perspectives, both in terms of the contributing scholars themselves but also the topical nature of the entries, means that one also does not get mired in a single mode of analysis. So Denis Shaw's 19 pages on towns and commerce are interesting and engaging, packed with information, and a perfect bite-sized bit for someone like me who isn't overly interested in a 200 page urban analysis of 15th and 16th century Russian settlements. In some places, though, it fails to satisfy or cave into the sensationalism that some more casual readers like myself would appreciate--particularly, the details of Ivan IV's ("The Terrible) Oprichnina and their "reign of terror." Only the consequences, such as peasant flight, are discussed--not what actually occurred to motivate this migration of the rural masses. It is in the development of such details as this that the topical organization demonstrates its weakest points.

Of course, these volumes are quite pricy--the entire set is over $600 at the time of writing this, and this volume is available used for $135 at the time of writing. This means they are out of the price range for most individuals who would not be using institutional money to purchase them. As a library acquisition, though, even for an institution that might not support Slavic/Russian studies, these are excellent resources to have. The bibliographies, which focus on Anglophone scholarship, realizing that its audience may not be able to read academic Russian texts, is extensive--collectively, it runs to several hundred pages across all three volumes. As a starting point for research or scholarship, I can think of no better place than this collection of texts.

The only thing I would have to say, as a interested reader and not a scholar, is that I would have appreciated a few chapters of speculative scholarship on the origins of the Rus. As someone who has read quite intensively on the origins of the Indo-Europeans, the pre-history of the Slavic and particularly Rus people would have been a wonderful addition. There is some speculation on how the fragmentation of Slavic languages proceeded in this volume, but it was simply a side note and no scholarship directly addressed this question. Of course, it would have expanded the chronological scope of the volume perhaps further than possible or desired. As such, it is as thorough and engaging treatment of these centuries as possible within the length of the text.

no problem