Russia and its World
Russia in all its aspects has always exerted a pull on me. Its history, art, music, food, landscapes, dress in all varied ethnic glory, and, above all, its literature have a special access to my attention. A major challenge is Russia’s colossal size and diversity of geography. Another continual surprise is the number of its distinctive peoples, each with unique folkways and histories. Russia has had some epic totalitarian regimes over its long history — but it also has been the home of some of the world’s greatest, most creative, and most influential anarchist philosophers. Russia is big enough and complex enough to handle all sorts of contradictions and paradoxes — and to claim them all proudly (and fatalistically, a classic Russian trait).
Over the years I have noticed that my store has become home to a great range of literature, fiction and nonfiction, of the Russian soul and mind and heart. I share it here and may update it as often as possible.
Ten Days That Shook the World
Ten Days That Shook the World
"This book is a slice of intensified history—history as I saw it.” So begins John Reed’s first-hand account of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Much anticipated when it was published in 1919, Reed’s narrative remains as riveting today as when the events he describes were still reverberating throughout the world.
Reed was hardly a disinterested observer, and his involvement in the Communist labor movement lends urgency and passion to his classic account. He vividly describes events in Petrograd in November 1917, when Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace and seized the reins of power.
Despite Reed’s personal leanings, which he made no attempt to hide, the book garnered praise from luminaries across the political spectrum. George F. Kennan, the American diplomat, and father of the policy of Soviet containment, said that “Reed’s account of the events of that time rises above every other contemporary record for its literary power, its penetration, its command of detail. It will be remembered when all others are forgotten."
Reed was committed to telling the story of the Russian revolution as truthfully as possible. That the book was banned by Russian premier Josef Stalin is a testament to the author’s success in carrying out his mission. One hundred years after Russia and the world trembled, Ten Days that Shook the World brings alive the momentous events of 1917.