The romanovs were the most successful dynasty of modern times, ruling a sixth of the world’s surface for three centuries. Drawing on new archival research, 1914 and 1917, love and murder, Montefiore delivers an enthralling epic of triumph and tragedy, encompassing the seminal years 1812, that is both a universal study of power and a portrait of empire that helps define Russia today.

The romanovs climaxes with a fresh, unforgettable portrayal of Nicholas II and Alexandra, the rise and murder of Rasputin, war and revolution—and the harrowing massacre of the entire family. Dazzlingly entertaining and beautifully written from start to finish, great and flawed, The Romanovs brings these monarchs—male and female, their families and courts—blazingly to life.

Simon sebag montefiore’s gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire-building, sexual decadence and wild extravagance, to Bismarck, Lincoln, family rivalries, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, courtesans, revolutionaries and poets, with a global cast of adventurers, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy and Pushkin, Queen Victoria and Lenin.

Paul i was strangled by courtiers backed by his own son, who in turn faced Napoleon’s invasion and the burning of Moscow, Alexander I, then went on to take Paris. How did one family turn a war-ruined principality into the world’s greatest empire? And how did they lose it all? This is the intimate story of twenty tsars and tsarinas, some by madness, some touched by genius, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition.

Alexander ii liberated the serfs, survived five assassination attempts and wrote perhaps the most explicit love letters ever composed by a ruler. To rule russia was both imperial-sacred mission and poisoned chalice: six of the last twelve tsars were murdered. Catherine the great overthrew her own husband who was murdered soon afterward, enjoyed affairs with a series of young male favorites, conquered Ukraine and fascinated Europe.

Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty

This revealing, densely documented account of the last Romanovs focuses not on the great events. The tale is so bizarre, no melodrama is equal to it. Newsweek“a wonderfully rich tapestry, the colors fresh and clear, every strand sewn in with a sure hand. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of imperial Russia to tell the story of the Romanovs’ lives: Nicholas’s political naïveté, Alexandra’s obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis’s brave struggle with hemophilia.

. The story of the love that ended an empireIn this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Not only the main characters but a whole era become alive and comprehensible. Harper’s. Against a lavish backdrop of luxury and intrigue, Massie unfolds a powerful drama of passion and history—the story of a doomed empire and the death-marked royals who watched it crumble.

Bonus: this edition contains an excerpt from Robert K.

Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar

Showing how stalin's triumphs and crimes were the product of his fanatical Marxism and his gifted but flawed character, this is an intimate portrait of a man as complicated and human as he was brutal and chilling. Written with bracing narrative verve, this feat of scholarly research has become a classic of modern history writing.

This widely acclaimed biography of stalin and his entourage during the terrifying decades of his supreme power transforms our understanding of Stalin as Soviet dictator, Marxist leader, and Russian tsar. Based on groundbreaking research, privilege and debauchery, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals the fear and betrayal, family life and murderous cruelty of this secret world.

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Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures.

Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity--man of God, loyal subject, voice of peace, adulterer, drunkard. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet.

But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

. On the centenary of the death of rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figureA hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil.

Marie Antoinette: The Journey

Antonia fraser's lavish and engaging portrait excites compassion and regard for all aspects of the queen, immersing the reader not only in the coming-of-age of a graceful woman, but in the culture of an unparalleled time and place. For centuries since, speculation, she has been the object of debate, and the fascination so often accorded illustrious figures in history.

France's iconic queen, marie antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous "Let them eat cake, " was alternately revered and reviled during her lifetime. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted child was thrust onto the royal stage and commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in European history.

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The Romanovs: The Final Chapter

Unfolds like a detective story. Los angeles times book review in july 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar room where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. Massie presents a colorful panorama of contemporary characters, and Great Britain, along with those of DNA scientists from Russia, illuminating the major scientific dispute between Russian experts and a team of Americans, America, whose findings, all contributed to solving one of the great mysteries of the twentieth century.

Praise for the romanovs: The Final Chapter“Masterful. The washington post Book World“An admirable scientific thriller. The new york times Book Review“Compelling. A fascinating account. Chicago tribune “A masterpiece of investigative reporting. San francisco Examiner & Chronicle . But were these the bones of the romanovs? and if these were their remains, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the rest of the family? Was Anna Anderson, really Grand Duchess Anastasia? The Romanovs provides the answers, celebrated for more than sixty years in newspapers, and film, books, describing in suspenseful detail the dramatic efforts to discover the truth.

Riveting.

Young Stalin

This revelatory account unveils how Stalin became Stalin, examining his shadowy journey from obscurity to power—from master historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Here is the dramatic story of his friendships and hatreds, his many love affairs, his complicated relationship with the Tsarist secret police, and how he became the merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image.

Based on ten years of research, a chronicle of the revolution, Young Stalin—companion to the prizewinning Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar—is a brilliant prehistory of the USSR, and an intimate biography. Montefiore tells the story of a charismatic, darkly turbulent boy born into poverty, scarred by his upbringing but possessed of unusual talents.

Described by the new york times as "a meticulously researched, autoritative biography, " Young Stalin is essential reading for anyone interested in Russian history. Winner of the costa book award for BiographyA Christian Science Monitor and Seattle Times Best Book of the Year. Admired as a romantic poet and trained as a priest, he found his true mission as a murderous revolutionary.

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Peter the Great: His Life and World

Unfolds like a detective story. Los angeles Times Book Review. Impetuous and stubborn, a man of enormous energy and complexity, generous and cruel, tender and unforgiving, Peter the Great is brought fully to life. The acclaimed author of Catherine the Great, Robert K. From the modern library’s new set of beautifully repackaged hardcover classics by Robert K.

Not only the main characters but a whole era become alive and comprehensible. Harper’s the romanovs “Riveting. The modern library of the world’s best Books Peter the Great Winner of the Pulitzer Prize “Enthralling. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend—including his “incognito” travels in Europe, his creation of an unbeatable army, his loving mistress, bold, the charming, wife, the robust yet gentle peasant, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his transformation of Russia, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, and successor; and Menshikov, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, unscrupulous prince who rose to wealth and power through Peter’s friendship.

Massie—also available are nicholas and alexandra and The RomanovsAgainst the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned co-tsar at the age of ten. As fascinating as any novel and more so than most. The new york times book review Nicholas and Alexandra “A magnificent and intimate picture.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

A compelling portrait not just of a Russian titan, but also of a flesh-and-blood woman. Newsweek “An absorbing, satisfying biography. Los angeles times “Juicy and suspenseful. The new york times book review “A great life, indeed, and irresistibly told. Salon named one of the best books of the year by the new york times • the washington post • usa today • the boston globe • San Francisco Chronicle • Chicago Tribune • Newsweek/The Daily Beast • Salon • Vogue • St.

. Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, lovers, generals, and enemies—all are here, vividly brought to life. Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into empress of Russia by sheer determination. For thirty-four years, the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands.

In this book, an eternally fascinating woman is returned to life. A tale of power, perseverance and passion. Louis post-dispatch • the providence journal • washington examiner • south Florida Sun-Sentinel • BookPage • Bookreporter • Publishers Weekly BONUS: This edition contains a Catherine the Great reader's guide.

A great story in the hands of a master storyteller. The wall street journal the pulitzer prize–winning author of peter the Great, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, powerful, Nicholas and Alexandra, the extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most remarkable, and captivating women in history.

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra

They were the princess dianas of their day—perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados. Helen rappaport aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections.

The four captivating russian grand duchesses—Olga, Maria and Anastasia Romanov—were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, Tatiana, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle. Over the years, the story of the four romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography.

With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, we learn that they were intelligent, and them along with it.

The romanov sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. A 12-week new york times bestseller"helen rappaport paints a compelling portrait of the doomed grand duchesses.

People magazine"the public spoke of the sisters in a gentile, superficial manner, but Rappaport captures sections of letters and diary entries to showcase the sisters' thoughtfulness and intelligence. Publishers weekly starred reviewfrom the new york times bestselling author of The Last Days of the Romanovs and Caught in the Revolution, The Romanov Sisters reveals the untold stories of the four daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra.