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Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2011: Once upon a time, there was a minor German princess named Sophia. In 1744, at the age of 14, she was taken by her ambitious mother--removed from her family, her religion, and her country--to a foreign land with a single goal: marry a prince and bear him an heir. Once in Russia, she changed her name, learned the language, and went on to become the world's richest and most powerful woman, ruler of its then-largest empire. She is remembered as Catherine the Great.
There may be no better author than Robert K. Massie to take on the daunting task of documenting this most rare of human lives. Massie, a former president of the Authors Guild, is a seasoned biographer of the 400-year Romanov dynasty, most notably with Peter the Great: His Life and World, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 and remains one of the most arresting biographies I've even encountered.
In his page-turning chronicle of Catherine II, Massie (now 82) compiles the most complete and compelling narrative to date of this singular woman. Married to an incompetent man-child who was unwilling or unable to help her fulfill her primary role--giving birth to a son--she ultimately grew to become a trailblazer among monarchs: friend of philosophical giants, incomparable patron of the arts, prosecutor of multiple wars, pioneer of public health, maker of kings, and prodigious serial lover.
Indeed, her accomplishments and shortcomings as an autocrat and a woman make for a remarkable saga, but that's not to say that just any author could do justice to Catherine's lasting legacy. (Many have tried.) Massie situates Catherine's early life and three-decade reign as empress amidst the tumult of the European Enlightenment, enriching his own narrative with telling excerpts of her letters and rich discussions of her political environment and personal motivations.
Put simply, Massie is just the man to take this endlessly fascinating life and craft an utterly memorable book. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman is a towering accomplishment, one of the year's best books in any genre. --Jason Kirk
Featured Images from Catherine the Great
The imperial coronation crown designed for Catherine. The crown was used in all six of the Romanov coronations that followed. | Catherine's coronation portrait. She is wearing her new imperial crown. | Paul, Catherine's son, in one of the Prussian uniforms he delighted in wearing. |
Portrait of Peter III | Gregory Orlov, Catherine's third lover, who was with her for eleven years and helped to put her on the throne. | Gregory Potemkin, covered with medals, titles, land, palaces, and responsibilities by a passionately loving Catherine. |
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Stated First Edition. MASTERPIECE: CLASSIC: NEW Stated First Edition hardcover w/ full no. line showing First Printing, NEW unclipped mylar-protected jacket w/ sharp NEW edges & corners & showing orig. $35.00 price at top right front flyleaf, IMMACULATE text-block exterior w/ smooth-cut top & bottom edges & cut-page-style "deckle" side-edging, NEW cover w/ marbled cream paper wrapping spine & extending 1.50" onto front panel & back panels similarly covered w/ marbled cream paper & w/ sharp NEW edges & corners & titles gold-stamped on spine, NEW perfect binding w/ tight sheets & w/ tan & yellow cloth banding at spine-caps, IMPECCABLE light card-stock marbled cream end-papers, PRISTINE interior printed w/ handsome clarity in Requiem on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper * 6.50" x 9.50" x 1.56", 1.12 kg, xviii+625 (643) pp. 4 b-w line maps * Acknowledgments (575), Selected Bibliography (577), Notes (581), Index (601) * ABOUT THE BOOK: Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Peter the Great", "Nicholas & Alexandra" & "The Romanovs" Robert K. Massie here offers his devoted readers yet another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at 14 & rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful & captivating women in history. Born to a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into Empress of Russia by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant mind & an insatiable curiosity as a young woman, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers &, when she reached the throne, attempted to use their principles to guide her rule of the vast & backward Russian empire. She knew or corresponded w/ the preeminent historical figures of her time: Voltaire, Diderot, Frederick the Great, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette & (surprisingly) the American naval hero John Paul Jones. Reaching the throne fired by Enlightenment philosophy & determined to become the embodiment of the 'benevolent despot' idealized by Montesquieu, she found herself always contending w/ the deeply ingrained realities of Russian life, including serfdom. She persevered, & for 34 years the government, foreign policy, cultural development & welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt w/ domestic rebellion, foreign wars & the tidal wave of political change & violence churned up by the French Revolution that swept across Europe. Her reputation depended entirely on the perspective of the speaker. Praised by Voltaire & Diderot as the equal of the greatest of classical philosophers, she was simultaneously vilified by her enemies, mostly foreigners, as 'the Messalina of the north'. Catherine's family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers & enemies are all vividly described in these compellingly readable pages, including her ambitious, perpetually scheming mother; her weak, bullying husband, Peter (who left her lying untouched beside him for nine years after their marriage); her unhappy son & heir, Paul; her beloved grandchildren; & her "favorites"--the parade of young men from whom she sought companionship & the recapture of youth as well as sex. Here, too, is the giant figure of Gregory Potemkin, her most significant lover & possible husband, w/ whom she shared a passionate correspondence of love & separation, followed by 17 years of unparalleled mutual achievement. The story is superbly told. All the special qualities that Robert K. Massie brought to "Nicholas & Alexandra" and "Peter the Great" are present here: historical accuracy, depth of understanding, felicity of style, mastery of detail, ability to shatter myth, & a rare genius for finding & expressing the human drama in extraordinary lives. History offers few stories richer than that of Catherine the Great. In this splendid book, an eternally fascinating woman is returned to life.* SHIPPING: MNEMOSYNE carefully packages this fine book for FREE domestic shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL or USPS PRIORITY MAIL for a below-cost fee. Seller Inventory # 010009
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