My "Russia Collection", as I elegantly refer to it, is the culmination of an unexplainable fascination that, since childhood, has drawn me to the study of Soviet and earlier Russian history. If one could happen to look at the library records from my early years, this could be evidence by a disproportionate number of borrowings along the lines of a children's biography of Gorbachev or an introduction to the geography of the Soviet Union (to bring up two examples that stick particularly in my memory). The Berlin Wall fell when I was seven years old, and afterwards I diligently worked to memorize the borders and capitals of the newly freed republics; this satisfied my curiosity until some years later, when I first read an article about Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Up to this point I had never known of Russian royalty and was immediately intrigued, and since this period coincided with several new developments in their story (namely the discovery of their burial site and identification of their remains), informal Romanov study was experiencing a kind of rebirth, or at least a renewal of interest on the part of non-historians; hence, several new biographies and historical overviews were published in quick succession. The first of these that I read was Robert Massie's Romanovs: The Final Chapter, a copy of which I received as a gift shortly thereafter. I was hooked, immediately and inexorably.

Hence the fifteen books comprising my current "Russia Collection". Most of its components were given as gifts by indulgent, albeit uncomprehending, red-blooded American parents, who probably believed my next step was to commence ranting about the class struggle and waving a red flag. Nevertheless, they graciously catered to my whims and often purchased copies before my initial wide-eyed amazement at the existence of a brand-new book had dissipated - hence a prevalence of first editions in my collection. Others joined the legion after my spotting them, unappreciated, on the bargain shelves at Barnes and Noble; a second-hand bookstore in my hometown was the source of several of the older titles.

In my collection I have tried to focus on the period comprising and immediately preceding the reign of Nicholas II, but occasionally I have branched out to earlier periods as the mood strikes me. The house of Romanov and closely related personages and events are the primary focus throughout, and I choose to place special emphasis on the personal, rather than political, lives of its members.

Bergamini, John. The Tragic Dynasty: A History of the Romanovs. New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1969

This is a reprint of Bergamini's vastly sweeping yet easily readable history of the House of Romanov from its beginnings until its fall from grace in the Revolution, from Mikhail I to Nicholas II and his surviving close relations.

Brewster, Hugh. Anastasia's Album. Toronto: Madison Press, 1996

This is a first North American edition copy of a children's book that illustrates, with photographs from her personal album and original drawings and paintings, the life and times of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II.

Crawford, Rosemary and Donald. Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars. New York: Scribner, 1997

This is a first-edition biography of Nicholas II's younger brother Mikhail, tsar for a day after his brother's abdication, that details his upbringing and romantic life, focusing on his scandalous relationship with the twice-divorced commoner Nathalia Wulfert and their life together before his execution by Bolsheviks in 1918.

King, Greg. The Man who Killed Rasputin: Prince Felix Youssoupov and the Murder that Helped Bring Down the Russian Empire. New York: Birch Lane Press, 1995

This is a first-edition copy of the story of Prince Youssoupov, Tsar Nicholas's nephew-in-law and the leader of the conspiracy to kill Rasputin, the faith-healer of questionable repute who enjoyed the favor of the imperial family. Various issues such as his background as a member of pre-revolutionary Russia's wealthiest family, his questionable sexuality, politics, and life after the Revolution are discussed.

Klier, John and Helen Mingay. The Quest for Anastasia: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Romanovs. London: Smith Gryphon Publishers, 1995

This first-edition British import details the last years of the Tsar's reign, the murder of him along with his family, the identification of their remains, and the question over the true identity of Anna Anderson, the most famous of those who claimed years afterward to be one of the Tsar's murdered children.

Kurth, Peter. Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1986

A paperback reprint of Kurth's biography of Anna Anderson from her first claims to the throne in 1920 to her death in 1984. A fervent believer in her cause, he treats his subject with respect and admiration - somewhat naïvely, as her identity as Grand Duchess Anastasia has been disproven through DNA tests; it nevertheless makes for a fascinating read.

Kurth, Peter. Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1995

This is a first-edition copy and a stunningly beautiful book packed with photographs and other illustrations evoking the vanished world of the last tsar, along with well-written and informative text and a foreword by famed dramatist and researcher Edvard Radzinsky.

Lieven, Dominic. Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993

A first-edition book examining the life and reign of Nicholas II, focusing on his role as political leader and emperor of an antiquated political system doomed to fail under his ineffectual guidance.

Massie, Robert K. Nicholas and Alexandra. New York: Laurel, 1985

This is a paperback reprint of one of the most famous biographies of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra by one of the most prolific researchers - this book has achieved the popularity it has, particularly among non-scholars, due to its emphasis on Nicholas's emotional and family life rather than affairs of state.

Massie, Robert K. Peter the Great: His Life and World. New York: Ballantine, 1985

This is a paperback copy of Massie's esteemed biography of Peter I, considered the greatest and most progressive of the Romanov tsars, who founded the new capital city of St. Petersburg and opened Russia for the first time to the ideas and influences of the West.

Massie, Robert K. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter. New York: Ballantine, 1995

This is a paperback edition detailing Massie's research surrounding the last days, deaths, and identification of the last imperial family and includes a comprehensive section of the court battles concerning the identification of Anna Anderson.

Maylunas, Andrei and Sergei Mironenko. A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas and Alexandra - Their Own Story. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1996

This first-edition British import makes sole use of the private letters and diary entries of the imperial family, their royal relations, and the people that influenced their life: ministers, ladies-in-waiting, friends, and murderers.

Moynahan, Brian. Rasputin: The Saint Who Sinned. New York: Random House, 1997

A first-edition biography of Grigory Rasputin, a mysterious Siberian faith healer who in time rose to the position of friend and advisor to Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra due to his ability to heal the ill Tsarevich during his life-threatening hemophilia attacks. His background, rise to power, licentious lifestyle, and murder are all well expounded upon here.

Radzinsky, Edvard. The Last Tsar: The Life and Death of Nicholas II. Trans. Marion Schwartz. New York: Anchor Books, 1993

A paperback edition of the biography considered by many to be the best of Nicholas II to date. Radzinsky, a famous dramatist in his own right, presents the life of the last tsar in a gripping and lyrical prose that is as literary as it is historically accurate.

Townend, Carol. Royal Russia: The Private Albums of the Russian Imperial Family. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998

This is a first North American edition of a selection of rare and unpublished photographs taken from the archives of the late James Blair Lovell and Ian Lilburn, both highly regarded researchers of the Romanov family.