The book traces the friendly Russian-American friendship from 1775 to 1919 in the context of prevailing international developments and of the individuals who contributed to the story.

A history of Russian-American relations from 1776 to 1917, when these two states, mostly antagonists since, were warm friends. A compelling account of Russian-American relations from the American Revolution of 1776 to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917. Long before the Cold War, there was a seemingly unlikely connection between the two countries — one a champion of liberty and progress; the other an absolute monarchy and defender of tradition. Indeed, following Russia’s refusal to help Great Britain put down the rebellious colonists, there developed a relationship of warm friendship, robust trade, and mutual support between Russia and the newly formed United States of America. Over the course of the next century and a half, the relationship between Russia and America flourished and matured. The St. Petersburg Connection brings to life the events and figures that played a crucial role in that history, drawing a picture of a time when two of the great nations of the last century, often enemies since, were friends.

Essay from the year 2006 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Russia, grade: 1,4, University of Vaasa, course: Excursion to St. Petersburg, 0 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: "St. Petersburg - Russian's window to Europe" you can read in almost every information about the city. But besides being the biggest city in western Russia and an important access to the Baltic sea it has also some important 'personal' relations to Europe or e.g. Germany: Peter I the Great and Vladimir Putin. One, the famous founder of St. Petersburg in 1703, who moved the capital from Moscow to his new preferred location and thereby opened whole Russia to deeper relations to the West. The second one, the current Russian president who aims to lead his country with his immense power more and more to become one of the big global players in other/more aspects than in former times. So both have close biographical relationships to Europe or European countries and through their power as heads of the country, this in turn has been influencing Russian culture, politics and business. On the basis of these St.Petersburg characters I would like to identify some hints for a 'Westernization' of Russia (through St.Petersburg) in Detail. But simultaneously important separating factors shall be mentioned which causes still more reluctant behaviour from companies towards Russia. After all I have to add something crucial about the resources I used. It was surprisingly for me to discover that there are only sparely reliable information about Russian topics in the internet available. So I had to reduce my sources mainly to Wikipedia and my St.Petersburg Travel guide Vis- -Vis2.3 I tried at least to re-check the information in e.g. comparing the articles of Wikipedia between different languages and other links I found. But still there is perhaps a lack of the scientifically demanded variance and acceptance of used sources.

In the bookshops of present-day St. Petersburg, guidebooks abound. Both modern descriptions of Russia’s old imperial capital and lavish new editions of pre-Revolutionary texts sell well, primarily attracting an audience of local residents. Why do Russians read one- and two-hundred-year-old guidebooks to a city they already know well? In How St. Petersburg Learned to Study Itself, Emily Johnson traces the Russian fascination with local guides to the idea of kraevedenie. Kraevedenie (local studies) is a disciplinary tradition that in Russia dates back to the early twentieth century. Practitioners of kraevedenie investigate local areas, study the ways human society and the environment affect each other, and decipher the semiotics of space. They deconstruct urban myths, analyze the conventions governing the depiction of specific regions and towns in works of art and literature, and dissect both outsider and insider perceptions of local population groups. Practitioners of kraevedenie helped develop and popularize the Russian guidebook as a literary form. Johnson traces the history of kraevedenie, showing how St. Petersburg–based scholars and institutions have played a central role in the evolution of the discipline. Distinguished from obvious Western equivalents such as cultural geography and the German Heimatkunde by both its dramatic history and unique social significance, kraevedenie has, for close to a hundred years, served as a key forum for expressing concepts of regional and national identity within Russian culture. How St. Petersburg Learned to Study Itself is published in collaboration with the Harriman Institute at Columbia University as part of its Studies of the Harriman Institute series.

The photojournalist Misha Friedman is renowned for his efforts to capture life in contemporary Russia, documenting subjects as varied as political corruption, the dangers of coal mining, the tuberculosis epidemic, and the Bolshoi Ballet. In publications ranging from the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, and the New Yorker, Friedman's grimly evocative black-and-white images—“intimate, behind-the-scenes photos” (Time)—have been credited with capturing moments of intense pathos, bleak existence, and human dignity. He has received multiple international awards for his “unflinching” lens and his intrepid reporting. For his new collection of photographs, Lyudmila and Natasha, Friedman trains his lens on a gay couple living on Saint Petersburg, offering a series of intimate snapshots of their relationship as it unfolds over the course of a year. Faced with a hostile political climate, financial difficulties, and often unstable living arrangements, the subjects of this stunning book reveal the possibilities for love in the most uncertain of times. With the fabled city of Saint Petersburg as its backdrop, Lyudmila and Natasha powerfully evokes both a vital place and the people who call it home. Lyudmila and Natasha was designed by Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios (EWS).

Pushkin's palaces or Dostoevsky's slums? Many a modern-day visitor to St. Petersburg has one or, more likely, both of these images in mind when setting foot in this stage set-like setting for some of the world's most treasured literary masterpieces. What they overlook is the vast uncharted territory in between. In Mapping St. Petersburg, Julie Buckler traces the evolution of Russia's onetime capital from a "conceptual hierarchy" to a living cultural system--a topography expressed not only by the city's physical structures but also by the literary texts that have helped create it. By favoring noncanonical works and "underdescribed spaces," Buckler seeks to revise the literary monumentalization of St. Petersburg--with Pushkin and Dostoevsky representing two traditional albeit opposing perspectives--to offer an off-center view of a richer, less familiar urban landscape. She views this grand city, the product of Peter the Great's ambitious vision, not only as a geographical entity but also as a network of genres that carries historical and cultural meaning. We discover the busy, messy "middle ground" of this hybrid city through an intricate web of descriptions in literary works; nonfiction writings such as sketches, feuilletons, memoirs, letters, essays, criticism; and urban legends, lore, songs, and social practices--all of which add character and depth to this refurbished imperial city.

These information-packed guides offer savvy advice and the in-depth information that sophisticated travelers demand. Each guide features: Detailed background and site descriptions; mapped walking and driving tours; full-service sidebars with fascinating vignettes on history, culture, and contemporary life; a 60-page directory of visitor information, including notable hotels and restaurants, entertainment, and shopping; and foldout end flaps, printed with maps and quick reference information, that serve as handy bookmarks.