The Empire of Russia from the Remotest Periods to the Present Time


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.4 stars; 59 reviews)

A history of Russia from 500 B.C. to 1855 A.D., written by John Stevens Cabot Abbott, the brother of Jacob Abbott. (Summary by Jean Bascom) (18 hr 30 min)

Chapters

Preface 4:11 Read by Jean Bascom
Parentage and Birth of Russia 34:14 Read by Jean Bascom
Growth and Consolidation of Russia 32:44 Read by Jean Bascom
Reigns of Vlademer, Yaroslaf, Ysiaslaf and Vsevolod 34:31 Read by Jean Bascom
Years of War and Woe 35:32 Read by Jean Bascom
Mstislaf and Andre 39:03 Read by Jean Bascom
The Grand Princes of Vladimir, and the Invasion of Genghis Khan 44:36 Read by Jules Hawryluk
The Sway of the Tartar Princes 39:08 Read by Jules Hawryluk
Resurrection of the Russian Monarchy 42:04 Read by Jules Hawryluk
Dmitri, Vassali, and the Mogol Tamerlane 41:07 Read by Jules Hawryluk
The Illustrious Ivan III 39:57 Read by Jules Hawryluk
The Reign of Vassili 42:58 Read by Jules Hawryluk
Ivan IV - His Minority 41:34 Read by tovarisch
The Reign of Ivan IV 36:33 Read by tovarisch
The Reign of Ivan IV - Continued 40:50 Read by tovarisch
The Abdication of Ivan IV 39:11 Read by tovarisch
The Storms of Hereditary Succession 32:18 Read by Jeff K.
A Change of Dynasty 30:21 Read by Jeff K.
The Regency of Sophia 28:54 Read by Jeff K.
Peter the Great 32:03 Read by Jean Bascom
Conquests and Achievements of Peter the Great 33:02 Read by Jean Bascom
The Trial and Condemnation of Alexis and Death of the Tzar 28:48 Read by Jean Bascom
The Reigns of Catharine I, Anne, the Infant Ivan and Elizabeth 38:20 Read by Jules Hawryluk
Peter III and His Bride 37:58 Read by Jules Hawryluk
The Conspiracy; and Accession of Catharine II 31:14 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
Reign of Catharine II 33:36 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
Reign of Catharine II 30:56 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
Termination of the Reign of Catharine II 32:34 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
The Reign of Paul I 30:28 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
Assassination of Paul and Accession of Alexander 31:27 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
Reign of Alexander I 32:42 Read by Kevin W. Davidson
Nicholas 37:50 Read by Kevin W. Davidson

Reviews


(4.5 stars)

Excellent readers. Very interesting book and compact full of information. Once the book gets into Russia's monarchs it turns into more about the monarchs and the battles that took place. Which is understandable because the nation couldn't move without the High Prince/Emperors permission.


(5 stars)

A little too ready to take hostile sources as the truth. I would have liked more on the vikings and the Rus. I take it that the nirmans here are vikings?

An Easy to Follow History


(4 stars)

I found this pretty easy to follow. The opening eras were all battles, bloodshed, and gore - but it does give you a good feel of Russia's history. I don't know if it's the material Abbott drew from, or if it is his own paradigm, but he seemed to evaluate each leader based on the leader's religious profession and practice. Atheists might find this annoying in this work. Readers were all easy to understand and of good audio quality. I sped up Jules Hawryluk's sections a little bit because I found them a bit ponderous. Tovarisch is a native Russian, and his sections had an additional dimension and flavor to them due to his accent. Loved him!

very interesting


(5 stars)

Very well written. Good narration. Narrators change and most are very good.