Robert K. Massie

“[A] tale of power, perseverance and passion . . . a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.”—The Wall Street Journal The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history. Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into empress of Russia by sheer determination. For thirty-four years, the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, foreign wars, and the tidal wave of political change and violence churned up by the French Revolution. Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly brought to life. History offers few stories richer than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, an eternally fascinating woman is returned to life. “[A] compelling portrait not just of a Russian titan, but also of a flesh-and-blood woman.”—Newsweek “An absorbing, satisfying biography.”—Los Angeles Times “Juicy and suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review “A great life, indeed, and irresistibly told.”—Salon NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYThe New York Times • The Washington Post • USA Today • The Boston Globe • San Francisco Chronicle • Chicago Tribune • Newsweek/The Daily Beast • Salon • Vogue • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Providence Journal • Washington Examiner • South Florida Sun-Sentinel • BookPage • Bookreporter • Publishers Weekly BONUS: This edition contains a Catherine the Great reader's guide.

The story of the love that ended an empire.In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story of the Romanovs’ lives: Nicholas’s political naïveté, Alexandra’s obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis’s brave struggle with hemophilia. Against a lavish backdrop of luxury and intrigue, Massie unfolds a powerful drama of passion and history—the story of a doomed empire and the death-marked royals who watched it crumble.

Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned at the age of 10. A barbarous, volatile feudal tsar with a taste for torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; a statesman of vision and colossal significance: Peter the Great embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development.Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend - including his 'incognito' travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, unscrupulous prince who rose to power through Peter's friendship. Impetuous and stubborn, generous and cruel, a man of enormous energy and complexity, Peter the Great is brought fully to life.

In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar room where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. But were these the bones of the Romanovs? And if these were their remains, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the rest of the family? Was Anna Anderson, celebrated for more than sixty years in newspapers, books, and film, really Grand Duchess Anastasia? The Romanovs provides the answers, describing in suspenseful detail the dramatic efforts to discover the truth. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert K. Massie presents a colorful panorama of contemporary characters, illuminating the major scientific dispute between Russian experts and a team of Americans, whose findings, along with those of DNA scientists from Russia, America, and Great Britain, all contributed to solving one of the great mysteries of the twentieth century.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Robert K. Massie has written a richly textured and gripping chronicle of the personal and national rivalries that led to the twentieth century's first great arms race. Massie brings to vivid life, such historical figures as the single-minded Admiral von Tirpitz, the young, ambitious, Winston Churchill, the ruthless, sycophantic Chancellor Bernhard von Bulow, and many others. Their story, and the story of the era, filled with misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and events leading to unintended conclusions, unfolds like a Greek tratedy in his powerful narrative. Intimately human and dramatic, DREADNOUGHT is history at its most riveting.

In August 1914 the two greatest navies in the world confronted each other across the North Sea. At first there were skirmishes, then battles off the coasts of England and Germany and in the far corners of the world, including the Falklands. The British attempted to force the Dardanelles with battleships - which led to the Gallipoli catastrophe. As the stalemate on the ground on the Western Front continued, the German Navy released a last strike against the British 'ring of steel'. The result was Jutland, a titanic and brutal battle between dreadnoughts. The knowledge, understanding and literary power Robert K. Massie brings to this story is unparalleled. There will never again be a war like this in which seagoing monsters hurl shells at each other until one side is destroyed. The story is driven by some of the most dramatically intriguing personalities in history: Churchill and Jacky Fisher, Jellicoe and Beatty. And then there were the powerful Germans - von Pohl, Scheer, Hipper, and the grand old fork-bearded genius Tirpitz. Castles of Steel is a book about leadership and command, bravery and timidity, genius and folly, qualities which are of course displayed magnificently by Robert K. Massie's literary mastery.

Journey [hardcover] Massie. Robert and Suzanne; Illustrator-Photographs [Jan 01, 1973]

Against a monumental backdrop of fabulous splendour, intrigue and barbaric cruelty, unfolds a powerful drama of passion and history. This is the story of the Romanovs, from the Tsar who brought Russia from darkness into light, to one of the greatest female rulers in history, and ultimately to the death-marked royals who watched their empire crumble. PETER THE GREAT: Crowned at the age of 10, Peter embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development. CATHERINE THE GREAT: In 1762, Catherine rode out of St Petersburg at the head of an army to arrest her husband. Three months later, at the age of just 33, she became sole empress of the largest empire on earth. NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA: The story of Nicholas's political naivete, Alexandra's obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis's brave struggle with haemophilia.

Massie brings to life the Russia of Peter's birth and the very different Russia his energy, genius and ruthlessness as ruler shaped.

Dreadnought Tom 2

[This is PART 2 of a 2-part audiobook CASSETTE Library Edition.]Peter the Great brought Russia from the darkness of its own Middle Ages into the Enlightenment and transformed it into the power that has its legacy in the Russia of our own century.This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers -- and men -- in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas. We see Peter in his twenties traveling ''incognito'' with his ambassadors to the courts of Europe; as the victorious soldier proclaimed Emperor; as the simple workman at his forge; and as the visionary statesman who single-handedly created a formidable world power. Impetuous and stubborn, bawdy and stern, relentless in his perseverance, he was capable of the greatest generosity and the greatest cruelty.

Part Three Of Three PartsIn this magnificent biography by the author of NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, Robert Massie depicts the life and times of one of civilization's most extraordinary rulers, Peter I, Czar of Russia. The first czar to travel outside his own country, he was insatiably curious and fired by Western ideas.Peter wanted to bring Russia out of its stifling medievalism and was driven to change everything: government, society, the economy. He created the Russian navy, established schools, hospitals, museums and libraries. He was responsible for printing the first newspaper in the country. He also edited and published books."The author is a clear, entirely unpretentious master of narrative history." (Newsweek)

Stalowe fortece Tom 1

Czwarty i ostatni tom "Stalowych Fortec" zaczyna się największą bitwą morską w pierwszej wojnie swiatowej – Bitwą Jutlandzką.Messie w roli reportera telewizyjnego, przenosi nas z okrętu na okręt, z jednego sztabu do drugiego, przedstawiając wielowątkową akcję. Często korzysta z relacji świadków wydarzeń. Druga część książki to opis najciekawszych watków nieograniczonej wojny podwodnej i kulisy przystąpienia Amerykanów do wojny. Ostatnia część książki to opis samozatopienia floty niemieckiej w Scapa Flow i kulisy kapitulacji niemieckiej.

Part One Of Two Parts Nicholas and Alexandra were the last of the Romanovs, remembered by us today chiefly as the parents who with their four daughters and son were murdered by the Bolsheviks. The times were not propitious when Nicholas came to power. It is doubtful Nicholas could have survived the times, even with luck, but fate seemed against him. His son's hemophilia was a great burden; worse was Rasputin, an unprincipled Siberian mystic. On top of it all came the great war in 1914. When Russian armies suffered staggering defeats, the whole structure began to crumble. "Massie gives the tantalizing what-ifs of history a full airing in this satisfying follow-up to PETER THE GREAT, another acknowledged master-work." (Journal of Literary Reviews)

Pierwsza wojna światowa na morzu w mistrzowskiej narracji Roberta Massiego, laureata Nagrody Pulitzera. Autor kapitalnie rysuje główne postacie wydarzeń-od dworów królewskich poprzez członków rządów do dowódców flot i poszczególnych okrętów biorących udział w najważniejszych wydarzeniach pierwszej wojny światowej. Autor, podobnie jak w "Dreadnocie" wydanym przed kilku laty, nie szczędzi czytelnikowi wielu anegdotycznych historii, dzięki czemu jego opowieść czyta się jednym tchem.

Kolejny tom pasjonującej książki o walkach toczących się na morzu podczas pierwszej wojny światowej, pióra wybitnego amerykańskiego historyka, laureata Nagrody Pulitzera."Stalowe Fortece" to wciągająca opowieść o odwadze i lęku, geniuszu i szaleństwie. Robert K. Massie przedstawia starcie angielskiej i niemieckiej floty, opisuje okręty biorące udział w bitwach morskich, kreśli barwne portrety ówczesnych władców, członków rządów i dowódców marynarki wojennej. Pisze m.in. o słynnym admirale Johnie Fisherze, reformatorze Royal Navy, o Johnie Jellicoe dowódcy Grand Fleet podczas bitwy jutlandzkiej, o Hugonie von Pohlu, niemieckim admirale dowodzącym Hochseeflotte.Autor, podobnie jak w książce "Dreadnought" wydanej przed kilku laty, nie szczędzi czytelnikowi anegdot i ciekawostek, dzięki czemu "Stalowe Fortece" czyta się jednym tchem.

This history of Peter The Great, by the American historian Robert Massie, is a detailed biography of the Russian emperor in which the author introduces his interpretation of the Russian Tsar’s life in the context of Russian and world history. The work was first published in English in 1981 and since that original edition has been reprinted on many occasions. Massie is not only a respected researcher, but also a master of fictional prose and winner of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. For this biography the author has made extensive use of records, held in the west, which were inaccessible to Russian readers. Like many of Massie’s works this edition is notable both for its authoritative account of historical events but also for the style and elegance of its presentation. Robert K. Massie is not only a recognized authority and specialist in Russian history but also philologically broad-minded. The distinguishing feature of this volume is its rigorous academic analysis in a luminously belles-lettres language without interfering with its concise description of the facts. 450 B/W and full-color illustrations. Product Details Product 9.5 x 6 x 1.2 inches (each Volume) Shipping 6.5 pounds

Part One Of Three Parts In this magnificent biography by the author of NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, Massie depicts the life and times of one of civilization's most extraordinary rulers, Peter I, Czar of Russia. The first czar to travel outside his own country, he was insatiably curious and was fired by Western ideas. Peter wanted to bring Russia out of its stifling medievalism and was driven to change government, society and economy. He created the Russian navy, and established schools, hospitals, museums and libraries. He was responsible for printing the first newspaper in the country. He also edited and published books. "The author is a clear, entirely unpretentious master of narrative history." (Newsweek)

Dreadnought to nazwa okretu, który stal sie symbolem mocarstwowosci panstw w okresie od poczatku XX wieku do wybuchu pierwszej wojny swiatowej. To wlasnie o tym okresie w kontekscie rywalizacji dwóch europejskich poteg - Niemiec i Wielkiej Brytanii jest ta ksiazka.Massie w swoim dziele skupia sie przede wszystkim na ludziach wladzy - od rodów królewskich, poprzez szefów rzadów na admiralach i ludziach zwiazanych z dyplomacja skonczywszy.Barwnosc postaci i mnóstwo anegdotycznych wrecz historii z nimi zwiazanych, a przede wszystkim znakomite pióro autora sprawia, ze ksiazke czyta sie z nieslabnacym zainteresowaniem, mimo tak wielkiej jej objetosci.,,Dreadnought" zostal przez wielu krytyków uznany za najlepsza ksiazke Roberta K. Massie, stajac sie od razu klasykiem historii XX w.

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