The Russian edition of Royals magazine which was launched in 2012, will publish a special issue next month to mark the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The magazine is only available in Russian and available at booksellers and magazine kiosks in major Russian cities.
Royals is the world's largest Royalty-oriented monthly magazine. Its main editorial offices are in Belgium and published in Dutch and French editions.
Royals is a high-quality magazine that features exclusively positive reports on ruling and non-ruling Royal Houses. It enjoys excellent relations with a number of Royal Courts, including that of Belgium.
The Russian people are prolific readers, but the publication of a Russian editition of this popular royalty monthly is due to an increasing interest that many Russians have in the royal houses of Europe.
Posted by Paul Gilbert
at 6:30 AM EDT
Updated: Thursday, 25 April 2013 6:36 AM EDT
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Monday, 8 April 2013
The Occult in Tsarist Russia Topic: Books
Witches had been burned at the stake in Medieval Russia, as they were throughout Europe. However by the 18th century the occult had become fashionable and spiritualist groups were common throughout Russia. Mediums and secretive societies were particularly popular during the reign of Catherine the Great. Occultists like Cagliostro ultimately ran afoul of the Empress, leading Catherine to author plays condemning the occult. But such was not the case by the end of the Romanov dynasty, when occultists such as Dr. Philippe and Rasputin wielded enormous influence. Nineteenth century literary figure such as Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Dostoevsky attended séances, while Pushkin shared his own family's belief in ghosts. There was even an occult newsletter called The Rebus that was published for over 40 years.
In The Occult in Tsarist Russia, author Thomas E. Berry offers a fascinating historical expose of this widespread and somewhat forgotten phenomenon; even providing some insight into how the occult might have ultimately influenced the decline of the Tsarist era.
Dr. Thomas E. Berry is a retired Professor of Russian language and literature who lectures in the Odssey Program of Johns Hopkins University, the Smithsonian Institution and the Russian Cultural Center of the Russian Embassy, Washington DC. He was granted a "Gramota," an award for service started by Catherine the Great, by the Russian Government for promoting relations between the US and Russia. He has lectured on many cruise lines and is the author of numerous books, including Memoirs of the Pages to the Tsars (translated and edited by Dr. Berry).
The lives of the tsars and their subjects from 1855 to 1918, told through rare archival photographs.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, and the world's fascination with Russia’s royal family and the lost world of Tsarist Russia has only increased. Now a new book, Twilight of the Romanovs: A Photographic Odyssey Across Imperial Russia, by historians Philipp Blom and Veronica Buckley, features the vast panorama of the final configuration of the Russian empire before and at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. The aim of its authors, was to find photos that had never been published before. The arresting photos taken between 1855 to 1918, were selected from "thousands and thousands" according to the authors, with some of the best images published in colour.
Large hard cover with 248 pages, 360 photographs, 114 in full colour.
Vladimir Alexandrov, Professor of Slavic Languages at Yale University is the author of a highly recommended new book, The Black Russian.
The incredible true story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, born in 1872, the son of former slaves. After the Civil War, his parents became prosperous land owners in the Mississippi Delta. He spent his youth on his family’s farm until a white planter tried to steal it. When his father was brutally murdered, he left the south and his home forever.
In Chicago and New York, he trained as a waiter. Moving to London and then across Europe, Frederick settled in color-blind Moscow, changing his name to Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas. Eventually he became the owner of the open-air entertainment garden the Aquarium, which was filled with variety theaters and restaurants. After opening the acclaimed theater complex Maxim, he became a millionaire in Tsarist Russia.
The Bolshevik Revolution forced him to flee to Odessa, and from there he barely escaped with his family to Constantinople. With no money, he managed to start over again. His adaptability and aptitude for creating restaurants and entertainment spaces against all odds made him rich again until his luck finally ran out, and his creditors caught up with him. Thrown into debtor’s prison, he died in Constantinople in 1928.
Watch the video for more information on this title or visit our online bookshop.
Jewels from Imperial St. Petersburg is more than just a sumptuously and exquisitely illustrated book about “Russian jewelry.”
Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm enlightens us about the provenance of these masterpieces as well as details about each owner and contractor of every particular work of art examined.
The author exposes the reader to names that have been either been relegated to the back burner of history or ignored due to the shining glare of the more familiar and celebrated names such as Faberge, which is a name that is clearly synonymous with Imperial Russia and certainly within the world of fine jewelry masterpieces.
Regarding Faberge, the reader will note that the illustrative examples of the master’s work are not just the world famous eggs but extraordinary pieces of fine jewelry with very few examples of the more decorative, non-wearable items that we have all become so enthralled with.
The jewelry we are exposed to in this book is so beyond the scope of what we know as wearable jewelry that Ms. Tillander-Godenhielm gives the reader an entirely new perspective on life in St. Petersburg during this abbreviated period of time.
In essence, the author not only tells the story of these inconceivable treasures but she also educates us on a sociological tangent with respect to “lifestyles of the rich and royal” during that time frame.
Suffice it to say Jewels from Imperial St. Petersburg is a book for jewelry lovers, the culturally enlightened, and history aficionados who share an interest in the Romanovs and Imperial Russia.
Large hard cover with 296 pages, 375 colour photographs.
Note: this review by Jeffrey Felner is condensed from the New York Journal of Books.
Gilbert's Books (the publishing division of Royal Russia) is pleased to announce that Memories in the Marble Palace by Grand Duke Gabriel Constantinovich is once again available from our online bookshop. Originally published in 1955 in French and Russian, this is a reprint of the first ENGLISH edition of his memoirs published in 2009.
Born at Pavlovsk on 15 July, 1887, Gabriel Constantinovich was the second son of the Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich and the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mavrikievna. He was a great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I.
Born into a privileged world, he lived in lavish luxury growing up in some of the most magnificent of the Romanov palaces: the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg, the Constantine Palace at Strelna, Pavlovsk and the family’s country estate at Ostashevo.
His memoirs, published here for the first time in English, paint a magnificent portrait of the beauty and splendour of the Russian Court in its twilight years before the First World War.
This is the story of a member of the Romanov dynasty who lived to tell his story of life at the Russian Court. Now, after more than half a century, his story may finally be read and appreciated in the English language.
This English edition features a Note from the Publisher and an Introduction about Grand Duke Gabriel Constantinovich, 356 pages, plus a 56-page supplement of rare photographs. The price is $35.00 CAD + shipping.
Posted by Paul Gilbert
at 12:45 PM EDT
Updated: Friday, 22 March 2013 6:00 AM EDT
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Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Royal Russia Annual No. 4 (2013) - UPDATE Topic: Books
Further to my original January 9th post, please note the following update which includes a revised publication date, plus 3 additional articles and their respective authors for this issue--PG.
I am pleased to announce that I will publish a second issue of Royal Russia Annual this year in honour of the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Royal Russia Annual No. 4 will go to the printers in July and available for purchase in late August 2013.
Included in this issue will be the following full-length articles [Note: this is just a partial list of the full-length articles scheduled to be published in this issue and is subject to change without notice]:
The Coronation of Emperor Alexander III
- A first-hand account of the ceremonies marking the coronation of Emperor Alexander III at Moscow on 27th May [O.S. 15th], 1883. Richly illustrated with full-page reproductions from the coronation album.
My Russia: The Children's Island at Tsarskoye Selo
- Located in the Alexander Park, the Children's Island is often overlooked by visitors to Tsarskoye Selo. This article explores the history of this unique folly built for the children of Emperor Nicholas I. Illustrated with photographs by Paul Gilbert.
The Museum of Imperial Court Carriages
- A history of the Museum of Imperial Court Carriages in St. Petersburg, and what happened to the collection after the museum was closed by the Bolsheviks in 1920.
plus, these articles by Russian and British historians:
Russia's Thespian Mentorsby Irene W. Galaktionova
The Five Daughters of Emperor Paul Iby Gema Faye O. Nicdao
An Interview With Anna Vyrubovaby Rheta Childe Dorr
Bloody Sunday: A Tragedy That Became a Sign by Andrei Mantsov
Princess Zenaida Yusupovaby Meriel Buchanan
Plus 2 collections of rare and vintage photographs:
Frozen in Timefeaturing photographic memories of the Russian Imperial family
The Lost World of Imperial Russiafeaturing vintage photographs of Imperial Russia before the Revolution
Note: This publication announcement is for information purposes only. I am not accepting any pre-orders for this issue at this time.
ROYAL RUSSIA is pleased to announce that the third issue of our OFFICIAL magazine is now available.
This issue offers 9 full-length articles, many written by Russian historians and appear in English for the very first time. Plus, 2 photograph collections of the Russian Imperial family and their legacy enhance this issue.
Features include a full-colour cover highlighting the cover story: Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich: Life and Death of the Tsesarevich, large 8-1/2" x 11" format, 128 pages, over 100 black and white photographs, and more!
Posted by Paul Gilbert
at 5:05 AM EST
Updated: Wednesday, 6 March 2013 5:37 AM EST
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Thursday, 14 February 2013
Alexander III: His Life and Reign - Publisher Update Topic: Books
Now that Royal Russia Annual No. 3 is complete and now in production with the printers, I can now turn my attention to my next publishing project, Alexander III: His Life and Reign by Margarita Nelipa.
I am now working closely with the author as we review each chapter, their sources, etc. and making any corrections deemed necessary as we move ahead with this enormous and exciting publishing endeavour.
This highly anticipated new book will be the first English biography on Alexander III to be published in nearly 120 years.
The author explores Alexander's life as Grand Duke and Tsesarevich, as well as his years as Emperor. Her book includes 15 chapters, numerous appendixes, an extensive bibliography and is richly illustrated throughout with more than 200 photographs and illustrations.
Painstaking research by the author focused on materials in the Russian language; some 350 references in all. These include letters, diaries, memoirs, Russian newspapers of the day and in some cases very rare publications. Her research will offer readers a whole new look at one of Russia's most obscure rulers.
Margarita Nelipa is the author of The Murder of Grigorii Rasputin: A Conspiracy That Brought Down the Russian Empire, published in 2010 by Gilbert's Books.
Alexander III: His Life and Reign is scheduled for publication this summer. Further updates on the progress, production and availability of this book will be posted on this blog in the coming weeks and months ahead.
Large hard cover book with 364 pages. Richly illustrated with more than 500 black-and-white photographs. Imported from Russia with ENGLISH text!
The book includes fascinating stories of the life and tragic end of one of the most powerful and wealthy dynasties of the Romanovs (1613-1917) with more than 500 photographs collected from the main archives of Russia and European countries.
The vanished world of the Russian Imperial Family is still attractive in many of its aspects. Magnificent residences of the Romanovs, which were built by the best architects, and the extraordinary collections of fine arts they contained continue to attract authors and readers. For 80 years Russian archives, which could be compared with undiscovered treasure mines, were closed to a wide range of specialists around the world. Foreign archives in turn were not available to Russian researchers. The authors of Russia and Europe worked in archives in Russia, Denmark, Germany, England, and the USA, identified previously unrecognized photographs contained in Russian resources and introduced them to the reader with extensive commentary on their origins.
The “language” of original photographs is sometimes able to tell more than pages of texts about the special world of royalty and the circle of nobility. The authors also used information from Russian and foreign periodicals, memoirs and special literature. Readers will find new and well-structured materials about the main events in the lives of the Romanovs and their relatives in Europe, the masters in all kinds of art who worked on commission of the sovereigns, the state and family visits of members of European dynasties and the prominent companies that started their businesses thanks to the support of rulers.
Two chapters about Germany and Denmark and their princesses who became Russian Empresses during this period. A few chapters are devoted to the descriptions of the two-way influences between Russia and Greece, Wurttemberg, and Mecklenburg-Schwerin, countries where Russian Grand Duchesses lived as spouses of sovereigns.
