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Peter the Great
Great Lives (Related to this series)
- Author
- Robert K. Massie
- Narrator
- Jonathan Keeble
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 26 May 2026
- Run Time
- 43 hours
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned at the age of 10. A barbarous, volatile feudal tsar with a taste for torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; a statesman of vision and colossal significance: Peter the Great embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development.
Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend – including his 'incognito' travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, unscrupulous prince who rose to power through Peter's friendship. Impetuous and stubborn, generous and cruel, a man of enormous energy and complexity, Peter the Great is brought fully to life.
Critics Review
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Enthralling. As fascinating as a novel and more so than most
New York Times
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Urgently readable... the work of a master of narrative history'
Newsweek
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Exceptional
New Yorker
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A fascinating, well-researched and expertly written book that students of Russian history cannot afford to be without
History of Royals
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Robert K. Massie
- Narrator
- Jonathan Keeble
- Duration
- 43 hours
- Release Date
- 26 May 2026
- ISBN
- 9781035926602
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Biography: historical, political and military, European history, History: specific events and topics, Biography: royalty
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Peter The Great by Robert K. Massie, read by Jonathan Keeble.Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned at the age of 10. A barbarous, volatile feudal tsar with a taste for torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; a statesman of vision and colossal significance: Peter the Great embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development. Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend – including his 'incognito' travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, unscrupulous prince who rose to power through Peter's friendship. Impetuous and stubborn, generous and cruel, a man of enormous energy and complexity, Peter the Great is brought fully to life.
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