Featuring 120 striking images, many in full color, from the Library's extraordinary collections, the volume includes eight essays, a succinct chronology of Russian history during the period under review, and a checklist of the works in the exhibition. More information about the exhibition, which is on view from October 3, 2003 through January 31, 2004, is here. Hardcover and softcover editions available, 224 pages, illustrated in color and black and white. Russia Engages the World - hardcover 0674011937$49.95 Russia Engages the World - softcover 0-674-01278-X$24.95 Russia Engages the World, 1453-1825, an elegant new book created by a team of leading historians in collaboration with The New York Public Library, traces Russia's development from an insular, medieval, liturgical realm centered on Old Muscovy into a modern, secular, world power embodied in cosmopolitan St. Petersburg. Featuring eight essays and 120 images from the Library's distinguished collections, it is both an engagingly written work and a striking visual object. Those interested in the dramatic history of Russia and its extraordinary artifacts will be captivated by this book. Before the late 15th century, Europeans knew virtually nothing about Muscovy, the core of what would become the "Russian Empire." The rare visitor -- merchant, adventurer, diplomat -- described an exotic, alien place. Then, under the powerful tsar Peter the Great, St. Petersburg became the architectural embodiment and principal site of a cultural revolution, and the port of entry for the Europeanization of Russia. From the reign of Peter to that of Catherine the Great, Russia sought increasing involvement in the scientific advancements and cultural trends of Europe. Yet Russia harbored a certain dualism when engaging the world outside its borders, identifying at times with Europe and at other times with its Asian neighbors. The essays in the volume are enhanced by images of rare Russian books, illuminated manuscripts, maps, engravings, watercolors, and woodcuts from the 15th to the 19th centuries, as well as the treasures of diverse minority cultures living in the territories of the Empire or acquired by Russian voyagers. These materials are featured in an exhibition of the same name, mounted at The New York Public Library October 3, 2003 -- January 31, 2004, in honor of the tercentenary of the city of St. Petersburg. back to Slavic & Baltic Division | back to NYPL Exhibition & Lecture Books | back to NYPL Publications | back to Books | Library Shop Home