About the Author

Isabel de Madariaga is emeritus professor of Russian Studies in the University of London. She is the author of Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great, published by Yale University Press.

Reviews

"A simply brilliant book... a colossal achievement of magisterial scholarship, beautifully readable prose and superb characterisation... Professor Isabel de Madariaga remains the empress of Russian historians" Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard "Almost every page of de Madariaga's magnificent biography is illuminated by the wisdom gained by its author from a lifetime of learning and reflection about the place of Russia in the wider world." Orlando Figes, New York Review of Books "A significant biography of the 16th-century Russian czar... Likely to become the definitive work on Ivan for some time." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "De Madariaga addresses knowledgeable readers, but the beautiful prose of this great book will tempt all others. Highly recommended." Choice"

"A simply brilliant book... a colossal achievement of magisterial scholarship, beautifully readable prose and superb characterisation... Professor Isabel de Madariaga remains the empress of Russian historians" Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard "Almost every page of de Madariaga's magnificent biography is illuminated by the wisdom gained by its author from a lifetime of learning and reflection about the place of Russia in the wider world." Orlando Figes, New York Review of Books "A significant biography of the 16th-century Russian czar... Likely to become the definitive work on Ivan for some time." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "De Madariaga addresses knowledgeable readers, but the beautiful prose of this great book will tempt all others. Highly recommended." Choice"

De Madariaga (Russian studies, emeritus, Univ. of London; Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great) offers a rare complete biography of Ivan IV (1530-84), aiming to correct the misconceptions perpetrated by a sparse paper trail (a fire in 1626 destroyed much relevant material), murky oral traditions, and the subjective slants of Soviet historians and misinformed Western historians. With a marvelous grasp of Russian, European, and comparative history, she sets Ivan within the international context of his own time. As a scholar of the Russian language and the Russian court, she is able to write from the perspective of the 16th-century Kremlin, rather than from the perspective of the West. She also offers fresh studies of the roles that magic and astrology played at Ivan's court. This superior book is suitable for both academic libraries and public libraries with Russian history collections.-Harry Willems, Southeast Kansas Lib. Syst., Iola Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.