Over the course of more than three centuries of Romanov rule in Russia, foreign visitors and residents produced a vast corpus of literature conveying their experiences and impressions of the country. The product of years of painstaking research by one of the world’s foremost authorities on Anglo-Russian relations, In the Lands of the Romanovs is the realization of a major bibliographical project that records the details of over 1200 English-language accounts of the Russian Empire. Ranging chronologically from the accession of Mikhail Fedorovich in 1613 to the abdication of Nicholas II in 1917, this is the most comprehensive bibliography of first-hand accounts of Russia ever to be published. Far more than an inventory of accounts by travellers and tourists, Anthony Cross’s ambitious and wide-ranging work includes personal records of residence in or visits to Russia by writers ranging from diplomats to merchants, physicians to clergymen, gardeners to governesses, as well as by participants in the French invasion of 1812 and in the Crimean War of 1854-56. Providing full bibliographical details and concise but informative annotation for each entry, this substantial bibliography will be an invaluable tool for anyone with an interest in contacts between Russia and the West during the centuries of Romanov rule.
When I was asked to review Anthony Cross's In the Lands of the Romanovs I was not initially enthusiastic: a bibliography is a list of books, author, title, year of publication, brief annotation. But as soon as I began to examine the book of the British historian, a leading specialist on Russia's relations with the West, I understood that this was a veritable treasure chest, not only for every one interested in history but for anyone who is not indifferent to Russia's image outside its boundaries.
Alexander Anichkin
"Окно из Европы: Почему нас так не любят на Западе?". Kommersant/Ogoniok (0131-0097), vol. 3 (5449), 2017.
A free, socially enhanced version of this book is available on Wikiversity, a Wikimedia Foundation project devoted to educational resources. Our aim is to make In the Lands of the Romanovs even more comprehensive and useful for the scholarly community. You are encouraged to add bibliographic entries about new works that come to light, or the author had not been aware of, to link to digitised versions of the works identified, to add ISBNs or links to discovery engines such as Worldcat, to expand the description of the works identified, and to add any other information that you think could enrich this invaluable discovery tool.
Preface
Introduction
1. Reigns of the First Romanovs: Mikhail Fedorovich (1613-1645), Aleksei Mikhailovich (1645-1676), and Fedor Alekseevich (1676-1682)
2. Reigns of Peter I (1682-1725), including joint reign with Ivan V (1682-1696) and regency of Sophia (1686-1689), and Catherine I (1725-1727)
3. Reigns of Peter II (1727-1730), Anna Ivanovna (1730-1740), Ivan VI (1740-1741), and Elizabeth (1741-1762)
4. Reigns of Peter III (1762) and Catherine II (1762-1796)
5. Reign of Paul I (1796-1801)
6. Reign of Alexander I (1801-1825)
7. Reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855)
8. The Crimean War (28 March 1854-27 April 1856)
9. Reign of Alexander II (1855-1881)
10. Reign of Alexander III (1881-1894)
11. Reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917)
Bibliography of Bibliographies
Index of Authors