Tsar and Sultan offers a unique insight into Russian Orientalism as the intellectual force behind Russian-Ottoman encounters. Through war diaries and memoirs, accounts of captivity and diplomatic correspondences, Victor Taki's analysis of military documents demonstrates a crucial aspect of Russia's discovery of the Orient based on its rivalry with the Ottoman Empire. Narratives depicting the brutal realities of Russian-Turkish military conflicts influenced the Orientalisation of the Ottoman Empire. In turn, Russian identity was built as the counter-image to the demonised Turk. This book explains the significance of Russian Orientalism on Russian identity and national policies of westernisation. Students of both European and Middle East studies will appreciate Taki's unique approach to Russian-Turkish relations and their influence on Eurasian history.

Brave princes, evil witches and beautiful maidens abound as the tales of Koshka, the wise old story-telling cat, unfold. James Mayhew has drawn inspiration from the traditional stories and art style of old Russia to re-tell five enchanting tales in this re-published edition of a children's classic.Stories include: The Tale of the Snowmaiden The Tale of Sadko the Minstrel The Tale of Iven, the Greywolf and the Firebird The Tale of Vassilisa the Fair and Baby Yaga Tsar Saltan and Koshka the Cat'I loved the constant references to stories as inherently magical and powerful, full of rare secrets that you would be justified in sailing "e;beyond thrice-nine realms and over the seven seas"e; in search of. Thankfully, readers and listeners (and lovers of illustration) only need open this magic box to be immediately transported.' Dr Nick Campbell, writer, researcher and bookseller'Every children's book deserves to be lavishly-illustrated, a task taken on by the author himself. It's herd to say which are better, the words or the pictures. But at the end of the day, it hardly matters because they complement each other perfectly in a book that captures the essence of the old-fashioned Noel of traditional story-telling.' The Bay magazine, 2019'It's the energy that shines out in the boldness, the verve, the lack of reticence that says: Look at this beautiful thing! Look again! It's the kind of work that welcomes readers (because in this book, James has written the words too!) as well as spectators. The combination is a real joy. [...] Today's children are lucky to have this version of the stories. And James Mayhew is lucky to have Graffeg realising that we need them as much as we did in 1993.' Adele Geras'Here is a fabulous collection of folk tales from Russia by James Mayhew, written in luminous language and accompanied by equally luminous artwork... Beyond the classroom, I will be recommending it to boys and girls in Year 4 who still love the accessibility of traditional fairy stories but need to develop their reading stamina and confidence with a little more challenge. I am hoping it will provide a gateway to longer novels such as The House with Chicken Legs or Harry Potter.' Books for Topics

The Marvel Universe's greatest era starts NOW!, as the all-new, all-different Avengers assemble! Captain America creates a sanctioned Avengers unit comprised of Avengers and X-Men, humans and mutants working together...so why is Professor Xavier's dream more at risk than ever? The Red Skull has returned - straight out of the 1940s and full of hatred - and his rebirth will alter the Marvel Universe forever! What are the Skull's new powers? Can Havok and Thor defeat the spreading influence of Honest John, The Living Propaganda? As Rogue and Scarlet Witch find themselves trapped on the Isle of the Red Skull's S-Men, Wolverine and Captain America investigate the worldwide mutant assassination epidemic! Uncanny Avengers Assemble! Plus: from the ashes of AvX, the funeral of one of Marvel's greatest heroes! UNCANNY AVENGERS VOL. 1: THE RED SHADOW includes a code for a free digital copy on the Marvel Comics app (for iPhone?, iPad?, iPad Touch? & Android devices) and Marvel Digital Comics Shop. Additionally, this collection also features special augmented reality content available exclusive through the Marvel AR app - including cover recaps, behind the scenes features and more that add value to your reading experience at no additional cost. COLLECTING: Uncanny Avengers 1-5

This book explores the aspiration to universal, imperial rule across Eurasian history from antiquity to the eighteenth century.

The "fascinating . . . lively" story of the Russian slave girl Roxelana, who rose from concubine to become the only queen of the Ottoman empire (New York Times). In Empress of the East, historian Leslie Peirce tells the remarkable story of a Christian slave girl, Roxelana, who was abducted by slave traders from her Ruthenian homeland and brought to the harem of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in Istanbul. Suleyman became besotted with her and foreswore all other concubines. Then, in an unprecedented step, he freed her and married her. The bold and canny Roxelana soon became a shrewd diplomat and philanthropist, who helped Suleyman keep pace with a changing world in which women, from Isabella of Hungary to Catherine de Medici, increasingly held the reins of power. Until now Roxelana has been seen as a seductress who brought ruin to the empire, but in Empress of the East, Peirce reveals the true history of an elusive figure who transformed the Ottoman harem into an institution of imperial rule.

“Monumental.” —The New York Times Book Review Pulitzer Prize-finalist Stephen Kotkin has written the definitive biography of Joseph Stalin, from collectivization and the Great Terror to the conflict with Hitler's Germany that is the signal event of modern world history In 1929, Joseph Stalin, having already achieved dictatorial power over the vast Soviet Empire, formally ordered the systematic conversion of the world’s largest peasant economy into “socialist modernity,” otherwise known as collectivization, regardless of the cost. What it cost, and what Stalin ruthlessly enacted, transformed the country and its ruler in profound and enduring ways. Building and running a dictatorship, with life and death power over hundreds of millions, made Stalin into the uncanny figure he became. Stephen Kotkin’s Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941 is the story of how a political system forged an unparalleled personality and vice versa. The wholesale collectivization of some 120 million peasants necessitated levels of coercion that were extreme even for Russia, and the resulting mass starvation elicited criticism inside the party even from those Communists committed to the eradication of capitalism. But Stalin did not flinch. By 1934, when the Soviet Union had stabilized and socialism had been implanted in the countryside, praise for his stunning anti-capitalist success came from all quarters. Stalin, however, never forgave and never forgot, with shocking consequences as he strove to consolidate the state with a brand new elite of young strivers like himself. Stalin’s obsessions drove him to execute nearly a million people, including the military leadership, diplomatic and intelligence officials, and innumerable leading lights in culture. While Stalin revived a great power, building a formidable industrialized military, the Soviet Union was effectively alone and surrounded by perceived enemies. The quest for security would bring Soviet Communism to a shocking and improbable pact with Nazi Germany. But that bargain would not unfold as envisioned. The lives of Stalin and Hitler, and the fates of their respective dictatorships, drew ever closer to collision, as the world hung in the balance. Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941 is a history of the world during the build-up to its most fateful hour, from the vantage point of Stalin’s seat of power. It is a landmark achievement in the annals of historical scholarship, and in the art of biography.