{"product_id":"secret-lives-of-the-tsars-three-centuries-of-autocracy-debauchery-betrayal-murder-and-madness-from-romanov-russia-9780812979053","title":"Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, and Madness from Romanov Russia","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Michael Farquhar doesn't write about history the way, say, Doris Kearns Goodwin does. He writes about history the way Doris Kearns Goodwin's smart-ass, reprobate kid brother might. I, for one, prefer it.\"--Gene Weingarten, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e columnist \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Scandal  Intrigue  Cossacks  Here the world's most engaging royal historian chronicles the world's most fascinating imperial dynasty: the Romanovs, whose three-hundred-year reign was remarkable for its shocking violence, spectacular excess, and unimaginable venality. In this incredibly entertaining history, Michael Farquhar collects the best, most captivating true tales of Romanov iniquity. We meet Catherine the Great, with her endless parade of virile young lovers (none of them of the equine variety); her unhinged son, Paul I, who ordered the bones of one of his mother's paramours dug out of its grave and tossed into a gorge; and Grigori Rasputin, the \"Mad Monk,\" whose mesmeric domination of the last of the Romanov tsars helped lead to the monarchy's undoing. From Peter the Great's penchant for personally beheading his recalcitrant subjects (he kept the severed head of one of his mistresses pickled in alcohol) to Nicholas and Alexandra's brutal demise at the hands of the Bolsheviks, \u003ci\u003eSecret Lives of the Tsars\u003c\/i\u003e captures all the splendor and infamy that was Imperial Russia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eSecret Lives of the Tsars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An accessible, exciting narrative . . . Highly recommended for generalists interested in Russian history and those who enjoy the seamier side of past lives.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An excellent condensed version of Russian history . . . a fine tale of history and scandal . . . sure to please general readers and monarchy buffs alike.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Tales from the nasty lives of global royalty . . . an easy-reading, lightweight history lesson.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Readers of this book may get a sense of why Russians are so tolerant of tyrants like Stalin and Putin. Given their history, it probably seems normal.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-16159942\"\u003eMichael Farquhar\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House Trade\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/08\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.58lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.91h x 5.18w x 0.63d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780812979053\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0812979052\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-HIS\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-HIS032000\"\u003eRussia | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO014000\"\u003eRoyalty\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-HIS\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-HIS037050\"\u003eModern | 18th Century\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Farquhar, \u003c\/b\u003ea former writer and editor at \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post, \u003c\/i\u003eis the bestselling author of the critically praised \u003ci\u003eBehind the Palace Doors, \u003c\/i\u003eas well as the national bestsellers \u003ci\u003eA Treasury of Royal Scandals, A Treasury of Great American Scandals, A Treasury of Deception, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has been featured in a number of national publications, and he has appeared as a commentator on such programs as History's top-rated \u003ci\u003eRussia: Land of the Tsars \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The French Revolution.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Trade","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44443566080237,"sku":"9780812979053","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_1dead76d-00d3-405a-8bab-775624580af3.jpg?v=1700232449","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/secret-lives-of-the-tsars-three-centuries-of-autocracy-debauchery-betrayal-murder-and-madness-from-romanov-russia-9780812979053","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}