
Catherine the Great
Life and Legend
John T. Alexander(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 23. March 1989
Book
Hardback
456 pages
978-0-19-505236-7 (ISBN)
Description
John Alexander has provided the first popular biography of one of the most powerful, infamous, and colourful figures in modern history.
Empress of the vast Russian Empire by the age of 33, Catherine's private and public life generated tremendous controversy, and she has been portrayed variously as a political genius, a despotic foreign adventuress, a tyrant, and a nymphomaniac. John Alexander's detailed research draws on little-known sources, including Catherine's love notes, to produce a much-needed, balanced appraisal of this remarkable woman throughout the whole of her long reign.
Empress of the vast Russian Empire by the age of 33, Catherine's private and public life generated tremendous controversy, and she has been portrayed variously as a political genius, a despotic foreign adventuress, a tyrant, and a nymphomaniac. John Alexander's detailed research draws on little-known sources, including Catherine's love notes, to produce a much-needed, balanced appraisal of this remarkable woman throughout the whole of her long reign.
Reviews / Votes
'a balanced, comprehensive portrait of the woman whom custom calls "the Great", whom gossip painted as scarlet, but whom Diderot described probably accurately as "the soul of Brutus in the body of "Cleaopatra"'Sunday Times `Alexander's biography is the best there is and likely to remain so'
Times Literary Supplement `a serious and highly readable work'
Times Higher Education Supplement 'this is a serious and highly readable work, which draws on a wealth of published sources, notably Catherine's own voluminous writings'
Lindsey Hughes, University of London, THES 'Alexander's biography is the best there is and likely to remain so ... based on wide-ranging use of printed and archival sources and free from dogmatic posturing. It is factually reliable, informative, lively and frequently provocative.'
A.G. Cross, The Times Literary Supplement 'A very well researched book that's also very readable'
Scottish Home and Country 'one of the most comprehensive studies of this woman written in modern times ... Well worth buying.'
Irish Independent 'an excellent analysis of the historical context in which she cut such a flamboyant figure'
Saturday Magazine
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: From Fourth Grade to Eighth Grade, Interest Age: From 14 to 18 years
Illustrations
24 pp black and white plates, maps
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
848 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-505236-7 (9780195052367)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
04/1990
Oxford University Press Inc
€17.90
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
11/1989
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€7.99
Available for download

E-Book
11/1988
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€7.99
Available for download
Person
Professor of History at the University of Kansas
Author
Professor of History and Soviet and East European Studies at the University of KansasProfessor of History and Soviet and East European Studies at the University of Kansas