A superb volume in which Riasanovsky brings a lifetime of study to bear on the puzzling question of what it means to be RussianIt will surely take its place on the required reading lists of graduate students in the field. --Jack M. Lauber,
History: Reviews of New Books The author has cast his net here impressively wide, and gives a full exegesis of his materials, with copious quotations....A fine study of a fascinating theme. --
History: Reviews of New Books No other historian has attempted to bring together such voluminous or varied material and presented it so clearly. --
The Historian Riasanovsky's total mastery of the subject and of literature is evident on every page. --
The Russian Review Admirable and authoritative. --
Times Literary Supplement This is intellectual history in the best old-fashioned sense of the world....Riasanovsky assembles a rich panorama of evidence, which he links firmly to the dominant intellectual currents of Russian though. Since one's attitude toward Peter can have the same programmatic content as one's stance on the Revolution in French history, this is a major and much-needed accomplishment. --
Jahrb?cher f?r Geschichte Europas An intensive and articulate companion to the Riasanovsky history text we have used for years. Covers intelligently the premier figure of Russian history in all his multi-faceted endeavors. --Dr. Lynette L. Wert, University of Central Oklahoma
Mature, considered, and provocative work; extremely readable for so subtle and complex a text. --Maria Carlson, University of Kansas