Siberia: A Cultural History

An interesting and very wide sweep of the history of Siberia. As a total newby on the subject I found it over dense, but enjoyed it and look forward to returning to it. All the sidetracks were actual the main fun part, and one of them led me to Siberian Throat Singing which was a delight to hear.

Haywood's book is a good introduction to western Siberia and its history. Although its a bit disjointed to have a history book that also serves as a Micheline guide, the author successfully combines the two very different genres. Haywood knows Siberia well and has made an extensive study of the English literature on the area. I was especially pleased with his use of early travelers' accounts, as was also done by Harmon Tupper's 1965 classic, "To The Great Ocean, The Taming of Siberia and the Building of the Trans-Siberian Railway," and Bijan Omrani's outstanding new Odyssey Guide, "Asia Overland: Tales of Travel on the Trans-Siberian and Silk Road." The only criticism I have of the book is its title, as the author only covers the western half of Siberia, and the fact that Tomsk, one of Siberia's most beautiful and historically important cities, was inexplicably left out. However, the work is still very much worth the purchase price, especially for first time travelers headed to the area.

Haywood's book is a good introduction to western Siberia and its history. Although its a bit disjointed to have a history book that also serves as a Micheline guide, the author successfully combines the two very different genres. Haywood knows Siberia well and has made an extensive study of the English literature on the area. I was especially pleased with his use of early travelers' accounts, as was also done by Harmon Tupper's 1965 classic, "To The Great Ocean, The Taming of Siberia and the Building of the Trans-Siberian Railway," and Bijan Omrani's outstanding new Odyssey Guide, "Asia Overland: Tales of Travel on the Trans-Siberian and Silk Road." The only criticism I have of the book is its title, as the author only covers the western half of Siberia, and the fact that Tomsk, one of Siberia's most beautiful and historically important cities, was inexplicably left out. However, the work is still very much worth the purchase price, especially for first time travelers headed to the area.

This is an interesting book with the rare topic. What interesting could be in Siberia, only huge areas of tundra and taiga, a couple of mines and small villages and of course, prison camps? A lot more, we can say if we read this book. Personally I would have liked more the older history, book concentrates to the 18th-20th century.

A very bleak look at this mysterious area of the world, It helps explain some of the esoteric nature of Russia. I just wish there were more maps and photos and in color.