Books about the Romanovs
Read What Has Been Written about the Russian Royal Family
New books about the Romanovs seem to be published each year. Which ones are worthwhile reads and which ones capitalize on myth?
There have been countless volumes written about the Romanovs. Some seek to unveil the truth about the last Russian royal family, and others capitalize on romantic popular notions about their lives and deaths. Want to read more about the Romanovs but don't know where to start? Some of these books about the Romanovs are points of departure for beginning, or continuing, research. Others are better used as paperweights.
Books about the Romanovs – The Fate of the Romanovs
By Gred King and Penny Wilson. This well-researched book is for those who don't mind a long read about a subject they enjoy. This book is more honest than other books on the same topic and attempts to reveal truths where myth has prevailed.
Books about the Romanovs – The Many Deaths of Tsar Nicholas II: Relics, Remains and the Romanovs
By Wendy Slater. This grim and heavy account of the last tsar's death, of the myths and legends that have risen from the graves of the Romanovs, and of the contemporary reaction to the deeds of the tsar when he was living is a serious read. This book about the Romanovs is the opposite of sensationalist; it is sombering, and this makes the writing more substantial.
Books about the Romanovs – The Romanovs: The Final Chapter
By Robert K. Massie. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter gives details about the exhumation of the Romanovs' bodies and tests conducted to determine their identities. Written in 1995 about the 1991 forensic investigation, this book about the Romanovs is still around, but seems woefully out of date, not to mention overly dramatic.
Books about the Romanovs – The Last Diary of Tsaritsa Alexandra
By Robert K. Massie. This book about Alexandra Romanov is a testament to how little it takes to intrique those who want to pry into the private lives of the Russian royal family. Alexandra Fyodorovna's “last diary” hardly contains any titillating information. It is dry, uninteresting, and uninformative.
Books about the Romanovs – Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire
By Dominic Lieven. This biography of Nicholas II is readable and describes the last tsar in a sympathetic light. Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire depicts Nicholas II as the weak-willed monarch that he was, and discusses the problems he faced because of his lack of leadership skills and charisma.
Books about the Romanovs – The Escape of Alexei
By Vadim Petrov, Igor Lysenko, and Georgy Egorov. This book about Alexei Romanov puts forth the preposterous theory that the tsarevich escaped execution and somehow lived to adulthood to tell his story.
It is important to take each book about the Romanovs with a grain of salt. If the writers seem genuinely interested in recording history, citing their sources, and revealing the truth, then the book may be considered more valuable. However, many writers are uninterested in history; they know money is to be made off of stories about the Romanovs . . . and indeed, the more like a story it is, the more money they can make.
