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Donald J. Raleigh, ed. A. A. Iskenderov, comp. The Emperors and Empresses of Russia: Rediscovering the Romanovs. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 1996. 414 pp. $63.95 cloth, ISBN 1-5632-47593; $25.95 paper, ISBN 1-5632-4760-7.
This book consists of a series of biographical essays first published in the Russian journal Problems of History in the years 1989-1993 and then, with one exception, in translation in the journal Russian Studies in History. Thus the book is a presentation of Russian biographical writing for a general reading public that reflects the reassessment of pre-Soviet history which has taken place since Gorbachev instituted his policy oiglasnost. Altogether there are eleven essays on individual Romanov monarchs, starting with Peter the Great in the late 17th century and ending with Nicholas II, who abdicated in 1917. Only three minor figures, who ruled briefly, are not treated separately. The book also has a "Preface" by Donald J. Raleigh in which he explains the origin of this series of portraits and the justification for selecting the essays from a single journal: "Voprosy istorii (Problems of History) - [is] an important barometer of change for the Russian historical profession" (ix). He also isolates several themes that the essays have in common, though each one is written by a different scholar. This "Preface" is followed by an "Introduction" by Akhmed Iskenderov, the editor-in-chief of Problems of History. He sets out the essays in the context of "official Soviet historiography" and emphasizes each essayist's attempt to present a complex and impartial portrait of an individual ruler. This introductory matter is then followed by a "Genealogical Table" delineating the Romanov family line from the late 17th century to 1917. Raleigh provides each essay with a brief introduction, summarizing...