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'The Moulding of Ukraine' offers a systematic examination of competing ideological visions of statehood and discusses them against the backdrop of historical traditions in Ukraine. This well-documented book is an account of the process of constitutional reform, offering an insight into post-Soviet Ukrainian politics. ... Read more

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History of Ukraine-Rus', volume 7, The Cossack Age to 1625 inaugurates the History's subseries entitled "The History of the Ukrainian Cossacks". It focuses on the history of the Ukrainian Cossacks from their origins in the fifteenth century to their rise as an important military, social, and political force in the first decades of the seventeenth century. Hrushevsky examines the early history of the Cossacks in the context of Ukrainian colonization of the steppe and the extensive social changes taking place on the Ukrainian frontier. He discusses the causes and consequences of the Cossack anti-Polish uprisings of the period and investigates the interconnections between Cossackdom and the Ukrainian national, religious, and cultural revival. Hrushevsky's exhaustive study of the period marked a turning point in the historiography of Ukrainian Cossackdom. It largely ended the stage in which historians engaged mostly in the collection and publication of sources and the reconstruction of the sequence of events. Concurrently, it inaugurated the stage in which the analysis and interpretation of established facts became the primary goal of historical research. ... Read more

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History of Ukraine-Rus Vol.7: The Cossack Age to 1625
This is simply the finest work available in the English language
on the Cossacks. It is not only encyclopedic in its treatment of
the subject,drawing on historical and ethnograhic materials in
Ukrainian,Russian,Polish,Turkish and Swedish sources but often
reads as fast moving as an adventure novel. Hrushevsky not only
recites dry facts and dates but puts forth both fascinating and
compelling analysis of the importance of the Cossacks to both the
idea and formation of the Ukrainian nation and the history of
Eastern Europe as a whole. Anyone who thrilled to Gogol's" Taras
Bulba" or the historical fiction of Harold Lamb and wants to learn of the true background of the Zaporozhian Cossacks of the
Sietch , simply cannot pass by this work. As fine as the works of
Nicholas Chirovsky, Linda Gordon,Patrick March and Phillip Long-worth are on the subject, they cannot compare to this comprehen-
sive volume. ... Read more

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Examines the complex history of the Ukrainian conflict, explores the contending claims of the different churches, and analyzes the prospects for resolution. ... Read more

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Edited by Stephen C. Foster,Director of the Fine Arts Dada Archive & Research Center, University of Iowa. . . Dada was probably the most radical and significant of all the avant-garde movements which flourished in the early twentieth century. . . . [Crisis and the Arts] is a monumental project whose importance will be massive and enduring. -- Dr. Richard Sheppard, Magdalen College, Oxford, United Kingdom[Professor Foster] knows well the material, the scholarly literature, and the international network of scientists in the field of twentieth-century art history. . . . The completion of this project will enhance resources available at colleges and universities everywhere. -- Prof. Dr. Wulf Herzogenrath, Director, Kunsthalle Bremen, GermanyDrawing together an excellent slate of authors, the series addresses virtually every aspect of Dada, from cultural politics . . . to its manifestations in Eastern Europe and Japan, areas with little if any previous literature. -- Patricia Leighten, Fellow and Associate Professor, Queens University, CanadaDuring World War I, an international group of young artists and writers fled to Zurich, in neutral Switzerland. In reaction to the horror of the War and the onslaught of new technology, as well as to the suffocating aesthetics of futurism and cubism, these artists began to create a new kind of art -- art that was antilogical, anti-aesthetic, anarchistic, confrontational, shocking. Performing and exhibiting at the famous Cafe Voltaire, these artists called the new art Dada.Dada soon exploded on the scene in other art capitals of the world: Berlin, Cologne, Hanover, Paris, even New York. Participants in the Dada movement included some of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Jean Arp, Sophie Taeuber Arp, Hans Richter, George Grosz, Max Ernst, Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Hch, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, Raoul Hausmann, Marcel Duchamp, and others alarmed critics, incited outrage, and generally tried to throw into question every possible preconceived notion about art and life.The Dada movement offered one of the first, most systematic, and perhaps most probing prognoses and analyses of what has been described as the crisis of modernism. Operating out of a period of acute cultural and social collapse and revolution, Dada provided a model for critique which continues to influence the present profoundly. Approaching the millennium, G.K. Hall & Co. is proud to announce the publication of Crisis and the Arts, the largest and most comprehensive treatment of any 20th-century artistic movement -- and the first to explore Dada in its broad sociopolitical matrix.8 volumes published between 1996 and 1998Lacking self-identified Dadaist, the initial task of this volume is to identify those movements in Baltic, Slavic, and Asian regions that exhibit the same spirit of revolt and criticism that typified their Western contemporaries.1997

6 x 9

est. 400 pp. ... Read more

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This bitter war between Russia and Turkey, aided by Britain and France, was the setting for the stuff of legends. This book details the gallant yet suicidal Charge of the Light Brigade, now immortalised in film: in the words of Tennyson, 'Into the Valley of Death rode the Six Hundred'. It relates the reports made by the first real war correspondant, William Russell of the London Times - reports which served only to highlight the army's problems - and memorialises the heroic deeds of Florence Nightingale, who struggled to save young men from the most formidable enemy in the Crimean War: not the Russians, but cholera. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great Overview of The Crimean War
This book is not meant to give you an in depth mastery of the war. It gives you the background of the war, the war itself and its aftermath. It also has a section detailing the life of a British soldier who fought in the war, and the wives of two soldiers who accompanied their husbands on the expedition.
It gives very good summaries of the major battles and has excellent maps of them as well. A decent smattering of pictures from the war are also given. Near the beginning of the book is a chronology of the war.
I came into this book knowing very little about the Crimean War, I now know as much as I had hoped to know when I ordered this book.
If you want to know the basics of the Crimean War I highly recommend this book. If you want an in depth account you may want to look elsewhere.

Way too Anglo - Centric
I agree completely with the other 4 reviewers.I won't go into too much detail, as the other reviewers covered the subject very well, but there were 2 issues that should be reiterated:

1)The author is not fair at all to the Russian contingent and their desire to free Constantinople from Islamic
control.In addition, constantly referring to the Russians as "the enemy"instead of the opponent of the
allies is disingenuous,and I'm not even Russian!

2)Secondly, the placement of the battle maps was maddening.The maps themselves were fine, but theeditor should have paid much more attention to their placement.The map of the Battle of Balaclava should havebeen on Page 51 where the map of the Battle of Inkerman is located !In turn, that map should have been on Page 58where the map of the Battle of Tchernaya is located ! In turn, that map should have placed on Page 70 where the map of Sevastopol is located !And that map could have been put on Page 74.It's not rocket science,but it does make for a much easier read.

All in all, I really appreciate the Osprey History Essential Series,but better editing, as well as better proofreading for spelling errors, would make the series so much easier to enjoy.

An adequate portrayal of an overlooked war
While this isn't the best 'Essential Histories' I've come across, it is far from the worst.Adequate descriptions of the key battles on the Crimean peninsula and thought-provoking insights into the causes and effects of the war make for an interesting read.

The Crimean War is one of the more obscure major wars involving European nations at the height of their power.This conflict between the Allies (Britain, France, and Turkey) and Russia was the result of Western European reaction to Russian aggression in the Black Sea, which threatened Constantinople and trade routes to India.While the war ended in a sort of stalemate, the Allies were successful in maintaining the status quo of the region and halting the expansion of Russian power (for a time).Major historical figures and events came out of the Crimean War, including the Charge of the Light Brigade and Florence Nightingale (both of which are covered adequately in this volume).Perhaps most significantly, this war resulted in the reorganization and increased efficiency of the British military, after the horrors and wastefulness of the war effort were reported by front line newsmen (the first in history).

There are a couple of minor complaints I have about this volume.First, I was disappointed in the maps for each of the major battles.They were placed 4-5 pages away from the text describing the battles and contained no references with which to position them in relation to Sevastopol, making for a rather confusing read.Additionally, the entire book is told from a primarily British perspective, glaringly not mentioning the fact that the famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy (WAR AND PEACE) was involved as an officer in the Battle of Chernaya and the defence of Sevastopol.

Overall, an adequate portrayal of this little-known (but interesting) war.

A Pretty Good Summary of a Forgotten War
John Sweetman does a nice job of condensing this war down to its essential elements.This is no easy feat and he should be commended for a job well done.As with all books in the "Essential Histories" series, this one is no different.It is ninety-two pages long and contains numerous drawings of significant battlefield events.Regarding the various commanders, the author provides sufficient detail so that the reader clearly understands their specific level of participation in the war.The section on the fighting is done in a chronological order.Thus, the chapters flow in a logical progression.

The main weakness of this book can be found in the maps.This weakness, however, is minimal at best.Several of the battle maps are improperly located within the book. For example, the map of the Battle of Balaclava is located a few pages ahead of that specific narrative.The map of the Battle of Inkerman is placed amidst the text of the Battle of Balaclava.The result is that the reader must go back several pages to locate the map that pertains to the applicable battle.Also, the book would have benefited from a mid level map of the area around Sevastopol.The battles of Balaclava, Inkerman, and Chernaya all occur in the same general area.Each of the battle maps have one of two geographic features that are also located in the other battle maps.Unfortunately, there is no mid level map that displays all three battles in relation to the city of Sevastopol.

The book provides information on two interesting people.First, the author made an excellent selection of Captain Nolan as the focus of the chapter on "Portrait of a Soldier."Captain Nolan participated in the charge of the Light Brigade; the most famous action of the entire war.His focus on Captain Nolan provides another viewpoint of this part of the Battle of Balaclava.The second person is Florence Nightingale.Although she is discussed, the author does not spend much time on her activities.Historically speaking, she was probably the most famous person to come out of this conflict.

The author's end of war analysis appears to be very insightful.He discusses how this war illuminated the deteriorating state of the Ottoman Empire.Many of the newly independent states could not peacefully co-exist.In some small way, this conflict may have laid the groundwork for World War I.The biggest winner of the war was the British Army.This conflict pointed out the shortcomings of the British medical and logistical services.Sorely needed reforms were implemented because of the suffering endured by the British servicemen.Bottom line: this is a well-written book that covers all the important aspects of the war.The reader should not be disappointed.

Good, but too Anglo-Centric
Sandhurst historian John Sweetman provides a useful summarized history of the Crimean War in Osprey's Essential Histories #2. Although the author provides a primarily British perspective on the war, this volume is well-written and is useful for readers who desire a quick summary of the war's key moments, with some added insight and analysis. This is a good, if conventional, effort.

Opening sections in the volume describe the theater of war, the opposing forces and how the war began. While short, these introductory sections include the key facts needed to set the stage. The description of the actual war covers about 47 pages. The two sections, `portrait of a soldier' and `portrait of a civilian', although well-written and interesting are marred by a flaw that has afflicted much of the Essential History series, namely overt British chauvinism (of the three volumes on WW1, all focus on British individuals). The authors picks Captain Nolan of `charge of the Light Brigade' fame as his model soldier, which is unfortunate since this is a very controversial individual who has been picked apart by generations of historians. The two civilians portrayed are both British wives. After reading this volume, the reader may have a difficult time remembering that British forces comprised only about 15% of the Allied troops in the Crimea or that there were Russians in the war, too. The author missed a great chance to include a Russian viewpoint from none other than Leo Tolstoy, who was serving with the garrison in Sebastopol. The denouement of the war is covered rather hastily in a few pages and the reader will come away with the impression that the Allies gained nothing from their `victory,' but in fact, the Russian Black Sea Fleet was all but disbanded for a generation and the Russians were forced to raze all the fortifications in the Crimea. By demilitarizing the Crimea for a 20-year period, Russian pressure on Turkey was eased, thus avoiding a wider war at that time.

This volume also includes seven maps (Turkey and the Crimea; area of operations; the Battle of the Alma; the Battle of Balaklava; the Battle of Inkerman; Battle of Chernaya; Sevastopol, June 1855). The bibliography is very weak, with only seven references provided (including one by the author). Despite the fact that the French carried the brunt of the war effort, not one French source is listed in the bibliography. The photographs and illustrations are a bit bland and almost totally represent the Allied viewpoint.

Overall, the main problem with this volume is its Anglo-centrism, with too much focus on the small British forces at the expense of the other participants. While the author details British problems with medical and transport services, he fails to note that the Russian army had considerable logistic problems of its own. Aside from noting the poor command abilities of several of the Russian senior generals, the Russian army is virtually overlooked. Nor do the French get much better treatment, despite the fact that their army performed fairly well (for once) in the Crimea. I wanted to like this volume, since it is always intriguing to read about controversial battles such as Balaklava, but I couldn't escape the fact that the author was leading the reader down the well-worn grooves of Crimean War historiography that British historians have imposed upon us for over a century. It's time to get out of that groove and look at more than just the `thin red line' and look at the experiences of all the participating sides.
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A historical overview of the events leading up to, during, and after the Crimean War. ... Read more

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At a whopping 589 pages this dissertation, submitted to the Political Science Department of the University of Chicago June, 1961, is sure to provide much information to the English-speaking scholar of Soviet religious policy, Soviet Communism, Ukranian history, and 20th Century religious history. Traces the history from the Orthodox "symphony" between the church and state and the church in the Kievan Rus to the purge in teh SVB and the Union of Militant Non-Believers of the Ukraine in the late '30s. ... Read more

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From the eighteenth century until its collapse in 1917, Imperial Russia - as distinct from Muscovite Russia before it and Soviet Russia after it - officially held that the Russian nation consisted of three branches: Great Russian, Little Russian (Ukrainian), and White Russian (Belarusian). After the 1917 revolution, this view was discredited by many leading scholars, politicians, and cultural figures, but none were more intimately involved in the dismantling of the old imperial identity and its historical narrative than the eminent Ukrainian historian Mykhailo Hrushevsky (1866-1934).

Hrushevsky took an active part in the work of Ukrainian scholarly, cultural, and political organizations and became the first head of the independent Ukrainian state in 1918. Serhii Plokhy's Unmaking Imperial Russia examines Hrushevsky's construction of a new historical paradigm that brought about the nationalization of the Ukrainian past and established Ukrainian history as a separate field of study. By showing how the 'all-Russian' historical paradigm was challenged by the Ukrainian national project, Plokhy provides the indispensable background for understanding the current state of relations between Ukraine and Russia.

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A welcome contribution to world history shelves
Author and historian Serhii Pokhy presents Unmaking Imperial Russia, an examination of the framework in which Russian history in general and Ukrainian history in particular is viewed. In particular, the work of Ukrainian historian Mykhailo Hrushevsky (1866-1934) is closely scrutinized, as Hrushevsky, who became the first head of the independent Ukrainian state in 1918, dared to challenge the "all-Russian" historical paradigm and create a history that nationalized the Ukraine's past. Drawing upon both present-day and Hrushevsky's amassed knowledge of linguistics, anthropology, ethnology, and archaeology, Unmaking Imperial Russia strives to give a more accurate and in-depth understanding of Ukraine history, and specifically expose misconceptions brought about by over-reliance on the "Imperial Russia" history model. Unmaking Imperial Russia is therefore one step removed from a standard history text, as it strives to reexamine popularly held lessons of history and draw new conclusions about and from the past. A welcome contribution to world history shelves.
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Ukraine is one of the largest and most strategically important newly independent countries in the world. Ukraine's history and culture extend back over thousands of years and form a tapestry which reveals much about mankind's history. This book discusses issues of concern for the future. ... Read more

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This study reconstructs the Italian protohistory of Odessa, founded in 1794 by the immigrants from Genoa and Naples, Venice and Palermo. Foreword; Dr. Anna Makolkin's monograph Odessa, the Last Italian Colony, is a carefully researched and accurate account of the foundation of the port city of Odessa(1794), and tells of the part, played by the Italian immigrants in this historical event which lead to the successful exploration of the Black Sea frontier - Novorossiia/New Russia. The materials about this obscure migration have been scattered in archives of Italy and Ukraine, and most 19th and 20th century historians, intimidated by radical nationalism, politics and geopolitics of Europe, and post-colonial trends did not have sufficient courage to address the topic. Italians were not just another wave of Odessa immigrants, not just another part of her multicultural mosaic, they were her founders and colonizers of the region. None of the so far available historiographical materials have ever suggested this, and it is the main accomplishment of Dr. Anna Makolkin and her timely, elaborate, well-researched and erudite monograph.Unlike some recent historical essays about Odessa, her book goes beyond the account of the single city and temporary contributions of a single group. Her book fills the gap in the European historiography about the unknown, atypical and understimated Italian migration which was instrumental in Europeanizing rural and backward Russia, at the time of mass migration from Europe to North America. Reconstructing the early history of the port and reclaiming Odessa's Italianness, the author not simply restores the misrepresented past, but it places this little known 18th century Italian migration into the wide context of the general cultural role of Italians in Europe. The Odessa Italian colony adds to the other Italian European cultural contributions.. Telling the Italian Odessa story, the author deals with the phenomenon of European urbanism as a universal cultural sign, problems of transfer of Italian cultural traditions, their art, music, sculpture, painting, architecture and civic governance, next to banking, supervision of customs and foreign trade.The urban and cultural history of Europe, both Western and Eastern, is inseparable from Italy and Italians, and this is the context into which Dr. Makolkin places her research. When histories to order and to please politicians are abundant in the present jingoistic climate, the author raises the question of ethics in history. She uses her academic freedom to deal with the taboo subjects of willful amnesia, doctored historical narrative and manipulation of collective memory. The book challenges the writers of ethnic histories and the very ethos of myopic nationalism, obsessed with tribal difference. The study of the port of Odessa, this New Russian Carthage, is presented in the context of Tyre and Carthage, Piraeus and Larnaca, Istanbul and Marseilles, Naples and Venice, Genoa and Lisbon, the Hanseatic League European ports. Port is viewed as a prototype of the modern multicultural society, friendly host of migrants and foreignness. Dealing with porto franco, Dr. Makolkin pays significant attention to its cultural implications, while most historians usually deal mainly with economics.Italians who managed to recreate Genoa and Turin in Odessa had a "cultural European compass," which they left behind for this Russian, Soviet and later Ukrainian city. The minibiography of Giuseppe De Ribas, the first and most influential Governor of Odessa, included in the book, adds an important chapter to the military and diplomatic history of Europe during the period of the Russo-Turkish war, history of the Russian Court and Italo-Russian relations of the time. The Italian Biographical Dictionary so far has no entry for this influential Italian who served for twenty years in the Russian tzarist Army. Based on the new archival findings, it rewrites some aspects of the biography of Catherine the Great and Admiral Count Alexander Suvorow (1729-1800). This Italian colonization of Novorossiia coincided with the intense exploration of the American continent, and the author draws parallels between the quality of life and types of settlers on both continents, giving insightful analysis of different colonizing approaches. The Odessa Italians, unlike their North American brethren, were mainly urban, literate professionals who had the most profound civilizing impact in their new country.The sociologists of immigration will greatly benefit from Dr.Makolkin's analysis. This remarkable book has the most balanced thematic range, dealing not only with Imperial foreign and domestic politics, urban, military affairs and diplomacy, professional performance of different Italians but having substantial well-researched chapters on Italian language, opera, music, religious life and architecture. Historians of music and theater will be interested in the Odessa's Italian operatic tradition, the legacy of Rossini and Cimarosa, performances of Tati and Brambilla, Fabbri and Guerini, Salvini and Duse, Ristori and Di Grasso and the lasting impact of Italian music on the cultural ethos of Odessa. The Italianness has forever shaped the Odesseans, imparting the aesthetic sensibility, the elegance, taste in music, attitude to life, their wit and specific speech. The book also provides an intriguing chapter on the Jesuits and Jews, exposing the complex problems of religious identity. Speaking about Italian architecture, the author presents the impact of the Church upon the secular society, the influence through structure.Nearly every topic touched in the book is brought from the wider than usual perspective. The writer of this exciting monograph brings in her vast interdisciplinary knowledge from other humanities- history of art and architecture, music and linguistics, history of ideas, continental philosophy and semiotics. The outcome of a decade-long research in the archives of Genoa, Turin, Spezia and Odessa, the study has numerous archival discoveries, the most crucial of which are the Diaries of Consul Cozzio, the Correspondence between Catherine the Great and Stefano de Rivarola, reports of the Odessa Architects Frapolli, Digby, Boffo, the shipping manifestoes with the name Garibaldi and of thousands of Italians, leaving for Odessa. Garibaldi led the thousand volunteers who liberated Sicily from the Bourbon occupation, and then marched from the strait of Messina to Reggio Calabria and went on to bring the liberation and unification of Italy.This passionate historical account, dedicated to Consul Cozzio and all forgotten Italians, is a story of the European West meeting the East on its own soil, transplanting the Italian civic and cultural traditions and building the mini multicultural state out of the old porto-franco. The story of the European port elucidates the history of Europe during the literary and ideological transition from Rationalism to Romanticism. Michael Ukas, Professor Emeritus June 18, 2004 Department of Italian Studies University of Toronto ... Read more

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Geopolitical space may survive in consciousness even after vanishing from the map
"The Idea of Galicia" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Wolff's book interview ran here as the cover feature on August 16, 2010. ... Read more

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The Letichev District (Podolia) of Ukraine was a microcosm of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. But there were unique differences. It was the home of the Baal Shem Tov and the cradle of the Chasidic movement. This book is, in part, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of his birth.

The Road from Letichev presents the history of the area through the eyes of individuals who lived there. Interwoven into the fabric of Jewish life are songs, food, folklore, health, education and crime. A complete encyclopedia of the rabbis who traveled The Road from Letichev is provided, together with a detailed description of synagogues (most of which are now destroyed)--the first of its kind.

The best description of a Jewish agricultural colony to date is detailed. On a tragic note, new information is provided on the 1648 Khmelnitsky massacres, as well as the pogroms of 1882, 1903-7, and 1919-21. Finally, the whole purpose for the book is to document what was destroyed in the Holocaust. No understanding of the Holocaust is truly complete without an understanding of what the Nazis took away from the world.

The Road from Letichev provides this insight. Through the testimonials from survivors of the Holocaust we learn new information about the horrors of the Nazi occupation on Soviet soil. The Soviet experience in the Holocaust is relatively rare in the modern literature. Richly illustrated, more than 8300 individuals are indexed, including more than 600 unique Jewish surnames from Letichev District. ... Read more

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The Road from Letichev, Vol.2
My mother, who grew up in Deraznia (on the Road to Letichev), died a few years ago. Here, in this book, I found out so much about her life in the Ukraine. It made me feel as if I was there, sharing that life with her!!! What an amazing book!
The work that the authors put into creating this book must have been phenomenal!! ... Read more