Russia

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-The history of Russia from its origins to 2002 is presented in this anthology of excerpts from books by American and European historians and Russian political figures. Most chapters also include one or two selections from primary sources such as chronicles and documents. An 18-page introductory survey is meant to provide a context for the topics chosen by the editor, but students will need a much more extensive knowledge of Russian history than this brief overview can provide because the readings are very focused. The last chapter, "Current Challenges," is probably the most interesting for high school students, who may find the readings on the early period very challenging. Throughout the book, terms and identifications are given in brackets in the text. The only obvious oversight in this regard was the failure to identify Loris, actually Loris-Melnikov, which leads to some confusion in the selection on Alexander II. The book has a chronology, but very few visuals, except for two small maps. Good narrative histories are a better choice for most libraries.-Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.