Award-winning author China Miéville plunges us into the year the world was turned upside downOn the centenary of the Russian Revolution; China Miéville tells the extraordinary story of this pivotal moment in history. In February of 1917 Russia was a backwards; autocratic monarchy; mired in an unpopular war; by October; after not one but two revolutions; it had become the world’s first workers’ state; straining to be at the vanguard of global revolution. How did this unimaginable transformation take place? In a panoramic sweep; stretching from St Petersburg and Moscow to the remotest villages of a sprawling empire; Miéville uncovers the catastrophes; intrigues and inspirations of 1917; in all their passion; drama and strangeness. Intervening in long-standing historical debates; but told with the reader new to the topic especially in mind; here is a breathtaking story of humanity at its greatest and most desperate; of a turning point for civilisation that still resonates loudly today.
#1346671 in Books Osprey Publishing 2013-08-20 2013-08-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.68 x 1.44 x 7.68l; 3.46 #File Name: 1782004084400 pages
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Three books for (roughly) the price of one!By WryGuy2In "Operation Barbarossa: The German Invasion of Soviet Russia"; author Robert Kirchubel combines three of his earlier works on the initial stages of German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 (Operation Barbarossa) into this one volume. Each of the earlier books were originally written for Osprey Publishing's Campaign Series. The three individual books were in the typical campaign format ... typically about 96 pages long; consisting of analysis of the campaign; commanders; forces and styles of warfare; pictures; illustrations; and maps.Osprey has published other compilations where they have bundled several of their "Campaign" books into a single volume ("The First World War: The War to End All Wars" and "Battleground: The Greatest Tank Duels in History" are two that come to mind); with no changes or new material. However in this book; the author reformats his three books into one broader campaign and adds about 10 percent of additional content; making this book indeed more than the sum of its parts. :-)Mr. Kirchubel has an easy to read style and he conveys a lot of information about the campaign within the book's covers. He writes primarily from the German side in this book; which is acceptable to me given that the Germans held the initiative during this time frame. (But note that there is sufficient coverage from the Soviet side to get the big picture.) A strong point of the book is where the author shows the tremendously negative impact that German strategic indecision had on the campaign; which could well have cost the Germans their chance to win the war. The illustrations; which I typically view more as "filler" than essential material; are quite good in this volume; as are the numerous photographs.I do have a few very mild nits. First; a few of the maps could be better though; and don't convey as much information as one might want. Second; the editors let a few things slip through that they should have caught; such as one table that contains footnote marks but lacks an explanation of those marks. And finally; I think the coverage of Army Group Center could stand to be expanded a bit more; particularly toward the end of Barbarossa. This is probably a carry-over from the hard choices Mr Kirchubel undoubtedly had to make in his earlier book on Army Group Center (which I have not read). The page limitations in the "Campaign" format are strictly adhered to; and as the primary focus of the German attack was in Army Group Center; there is more to cover and correspondingly more that had to be abbreviated or left out.Overall; this is an excellent book for the beginning to intermediate level students of the war; particularly those who have an interest in the German attack on the Soviet Union. But even I; a casual expert of the Eastern Front; really enjoyed the book and learned a few things. Four stars.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Mr Kirchubel expands his original summaryBy Dave SchranckWhile the author enjoyed writing the Osprey Campaign trilogy some years ago; he always felt stymied by the page limitation and felt a better job could have been done without the restraints. This book is his vision of Barbarossa without the restraints.In the Preface; Mr Kirchubel freely admits that 90% of the new book consists of the old trilogy and the new 10% consists of material involving political and ideological considerations as well as the latest in military information. The overall time horizon is the same; from June to December; coverage is from the initial invasion to the approaches of Leningrad; Moscow and Rostov by the respective Army Group. You also will have coverage of the fighting in Finland; the Arctic and the Crimea.While much of the material in this book is "old"; it is clear the author invested a lot of time on it for he gutted the old format and within limits started anew to reflect the inclusion of the three Army Groups in one volume and to avoid any weaknesses of the past. The introductions into each section are expanded and improved and the coverage is more thematic in nature than strictly chronological. You still have familiar chapter titles like Opposing Plans; Armies and Commanders providing the necessary background knowledge for when the campaign begins. The Campaign is sub-divided into five acts and consumes about 220 pages. Frontier battles and the fighting at Minsk; Smolensk; Kiev; Uman; Vyazma; Bryansk; the approach to Moscow are some of the highlighted areas. However; I still feel the late October; November timeframe is still light; the coverage of the fighting in the Kalinin sector and along the Mozhaisk Line could have been more fully developed. Though there is new information; there is also many of the same or nearly the same passages in both books.There are many new photos and I recognized five new maps in addition to the two dozen maps of the original trilogy. There is a small Appendix; a Glossary and an expanded Bibliography which reflects the additional input in this new version. This bibliography will provide many good references if further reading is desired. The book also includes an Order of Battle; a Chronology and an expanded Index.Mr Kirchubel has clearly tried and succeeded on improving the original edition. Though the presentation is smoother and provides some new material; there is not an abundance of new material so its not an easy call to recommend this book. It will depend on the interest level of the individual and whether you have the earlier trilogy. If you're new to the War or don't have the earlier campaigns; this book would be an excellent primer of the opening months of the Russo-German War and is recommended. On the other hand; if you've the original trilogy it will depend on how much you'll willing to pay for a small bump in information. Though hoping for more than 10% new material but being a fan of Barbarossa; I didn't mind paying that price: you get later coverage; more maps and photos of all three Army Groups in a hardcover for the price of a little more than a single soft cover campaign.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. it was an excellent book and allowed the reader to realize the monumental ...By Stefanie NessLearned a lot from the book; which describes the assault in magnificent minutiae; while skipping a lot of the gruesome detail. If I had to purchase this again; I would buy the hard copy book and not download to Kindle; as a lot of the maps were not legible on my reader. Nevertheless; it was an excellent book and allowed the reader to realize the monumental challenge of this invasion without editorializing.
