Peter the Great: His Life and World (Modern Library (Hardcover))

I've read hundreds of books but this is on of my all-time favorites. Massie is a meticulous researcher and an excellent writer and storyteller. This book brings to life a fascinating man, and his incredible times, and how Peter brought Russia out of the dark ages with his vision, willpower, restless soul and ceaseless energy. The battle scenes are incredible: I read the Battle of Poltava like it was happening before me, like watching a football game with the best newscaster. A true page-turner. You will find yourself enveloped in military strategy of two great men (Charles XII of Sweden and Peter the Great) and their armies, how they thought, what moves they made, mistakes they committed, and the final outcome. Massie takes you from a bird's eye view of a battle, right down to the most minute of details. I don't know how he does it! This is my third time reading this book. The last time? 1987, when I was in labor with my firstborn. A long night, so I grabbed my favorite book. The author's son has hemophilia (like Tsar Nicholas II's did), and the next day, I gave birth to a son with hemophilia. When the doctor gave me the diagnosis, I looked at the book in awe. Perhaps this explains my personal love for this book. But it is a classic: so very well written, so perfectly researched, and so expertly told. Read it and you will time travel to the 18th century!

"Peter the Great" is one of the best-written history books I've encountered, and it is the gold standard that I compare against other narrative histories. Despite the title, this is not a biography -- it is an incredible narrative history of the times of Peter the Great. I found this to be not only an outstanding book about Russian history, but also an excellent book about Western history in the 17th and 18th centuries. The best chapters cover Peter's grand tour through the Netherlands, Germany and England, and the book successfully brings to life the Europe of Peter's time. I also learned a lot about the warfare and military strategy of the times. My one critique would be that the chapters on the war with Sweden could probably be a bit shorter; there's more detail than most people need. Reading "Peter the Great" is better than reading historical fiction; the story is captivating and I really couldn't put the book down.

As told by the bottomless pit of worldliness, Robert Massie, the story of Peter the Great is not just epic but colossal. This book checks your sense of moral judgement at the door; none without a fully developed sense of context should read. Right and wrong and "western" or at the time Moslem etiquette has to be suspended as an act of historical curiosity.King George I was not English. Peter's second wife was Lithuanian. Pushkin has an African ancestor, one of the few if not the only African in the book. The German suburb in Moscow was comprised of various European residents, living well or at least better than the illiterate, drunk, abusive, lawless Russians. Among all, there is a staggering infant mortality rate and otherwise remarkably short lifespans. It was the suburb that drew Peter away from the Orthodox heritage: to boats and sailing, to the Embassy across Europe, to the shaving of beards and the shrinking of impractical - except in winter - clothing.Owing perhaps to scarce records, or else just to a lull in domestic events, Charles XII of Sweden becomes the dominating figure in the middle of the book. Louis XIV was indulged as much as human spirit could tolerate, until the battles eventually turn to strange events with the Sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with Charles still angling for any revenge on his great foe while wearing his diplomatic welcome comically thin.To no one's surprise, this is an archive of torture, punishment, humiliation, and fear. Many times, and not just because the book is so long, many times per chapter in fact, the ax across the neck is an act of mercy. In their creativity, the Russians (with so many foreign lieutenants) anticipate the devious methods of Stalin and his purges, and Lenin and his Revolution. To no one's surprise there is torture, just as there is the mobilization, march, and victorious debauchery, but these aspects of barbarism do become relentless as the pages turn.This is a story without art. It traces one man's desire for a people to create a history, when eventually it would develop a taste for any aesthetics.

Amazing book! After spending several days in St. Petersburg, Russia last summer I was very interested in learning about the Russian Tsar responsible for its creation. Mr. Massie’s book on Peter The Great is a thorough biography that reads like a good novel. Mr Massie demonstrates the intricacies of the confluence of culture, identity, ideas and technologies of Western Europe, The Baltic Countries, Ottoman Empire and Russia during the time of Peter’s reign. St Petersburg feels like a Western European city in some regards - the canals, the palaces, the long boulevards and wide plazas. You realize this was by Peter’s design as he was very much taken by Western European architecture, fashion, technology and naval prowess. Peter could also be as brutish as many iron-fisted Tsars - demanding duty and subservience of all his subjects - including his own family. Peter was a high energy intellectual who surrounded himself with foreigners more often than the Russian aristocrats (boyars) of his time. His interest in ship building became his mark on Russian history. His ability to defeat the Swedish gave birth to the dazzling city on the Neva River.

Robert Massie writes impeccably. This biography is as wide, sweeping and impressive as Peter The Great himself. While crammed with facts and detail, the book never becomes slow or onerous. It has pace, excitement and fascinating insights which, despite it being a weighty tome, ensures it reads as much like a novel as a magnificent history of the man and the period.I've read it several times and bought copies for friends. Cannot recommend this one too highly.

Having read this book I feel as if I've known Peter the Great all my life. Every aspect of his life is covered. The genius of Massie is the way he makes it totally come to life.Peter was a huge larger than life character and I kept on asking myself what it would have been like to have lived or worked with him. I suspect in my case that, if I'd shaved my beard off, it would have been an exciting roller coaster experience. The point is that the book is so well written that you feel as if you are there.It's a long book, we'll over 24 hours of reading time. The book was written in 1980 so there are a few references to The Soviet Union but in no way is the book dated. Massie goes into some detail on other contemporary sovereigns (particularly Charles XII of Sweden) as it's important to understand the major players that Peter had to interact with.A man who changed Russia more than anyone else. Well worth reading.

I have only read up to the year 1699 and Massie has done an excellent review of the context surrounding Peter at every step of his progress in history. It has been meticulously researched; however, unfortunately, the Kindle Edition with the clumsy centering of text, footnotes and notes prevents one from using the reference notes (they are only indicated as references to parts 1,2,3,4,5,6 of the volume) that have no page locus. But again, Massie whom I met when he was working on this volume, has well spent (I believe) seven years to research the book thoroughly. It provides a well-grounded vademecum on the Europe at the turn of the 17th century.

This is a superb book. The only reason I have given it four rather than five stars is that the illustrations are difficult to make out on the Kindle, and I suspect that the paper edition would have had pictures of the major characters which are not on the e-reader. If it doesn't, this would confirm a four star rating for the work as a whole.Mr Massie paints a balanced picture of Peter, warts and all. We see the autocratic ruler, the reformer determined to drag his country into the modern world, the jovial seaman unwilling to stand on ceremony and the paranoid character who sees plots to depose him everywhere. Perhaps the most poignant event is the death of the Tsarevitch Alexis from torture ordered by his father. That Peter emerges from this event without appearing a monster is a tribute to the author's skill. We also have fascinating impressions of Peter's major contemporaries, especially Charles Xll of Sweden who emerges as a major protagonist in the book.This is a major work conveying not just the details of Peter's life, but a sweeping observation of all aspects of Russian life. The style is eminently readable. I never thought I would find detailed analysis of an 18th century battle interesting, but in the skilled hands of Robert Massie, the description of Poltava is a real page-turner. Highly recommended!

Robert K Massie has written not just one of the best biographies of Peter the Great, Tsar of all the Russias, but one of the best biographies out there. Written in a flowing, easy to read style, the work describes the life and times that Peter lived through, allowing us, the reader to picture the scenes that Peter is moving through.And the times that Peter moved through were momentous as Peter attempts to modernise the Muscovy/Russian state, from the troubles with the revolt of the Streltsy at the very startt of his reign (orchstrated by Peter's half sister, Sophia), to the wars with Sweden and Poland.With plenty of maps and illustrations for us to look at (sometimes a weakness of other biographies of historical figures, we actually can see the geo-political factors that have an impact) this is truly a great book to read

This is a fantastic biography of one of the most transformational leaders in European history. It is not a short read, but it is well worth every page. It explains the sort of Russia Peter found and how he transformed a land-locked backward country into one of Europe's major powers. Some of the events narrated in the book, such as Russia's vicotry over Sweden, the building of its fleet and the conquest of the Baltic still exhert their influence over current international politics. Moreover, the author's style is very entertaining and provides lots of insight not only about Peter's life and Russia but about how life was in the period in different parts of Europe, how society worked, how people traveled, how armies fought...A real masterpiece. A must for anyone interested in Russian history, highly recommended for anyone interested in European or World history.

Lots of good insight into the period and context, as well as to into Peter's unique personality. Massey is clearly a big fan and always sees the best in PTG - other historians are not always so well-disposed.Although this is a cold-war era book this has aged well - there's little silly axe-grinding about Russia or Communism. The downside is that there is no attempt to draw out the implications of Peter's attempt to transform Russia from the top down, which would be interesting - especially in the context, say, of contemporary China.An unexpected bonus was the material about Charles XII of Sweden - in some ways the book is almost a co-biography of the two men, and could perhaps have been written that way. I must find a bio of Charles now!

Read Massie's Nichola and Alexandria whilst in hospital and enjoyed it so thought I would follow with Peter the Great. It s a great book, detailed, easy to read, enthralling. There is only one downside, if you can call it that, and thats it sheer size. I have it on a Kindle so physically there isn't a problem, unlike the paperback I saw in the shop which could be used for weight training, however it seems to go on for ever. Not that thats a bad thing it just that its taken over my life. At work I spend the dinner time buried in the book, I get home and spend the evenings reading the book. It making me ant-social. And its not that I'm a slow reader, its just so gripping.Thoroughly recommend it.

Riveting. I hated history at school, but this author is brilliant - he brings the characters to life and paints the full picture of the world in which they lived, both local and global. I now know not only about Peter the Great and Russia, but his place in relation to the Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Louis XIV of France, William of Orange and George 1st of England and, most importantly, Charles XII of Sweden. These were just names to me before, but Massie assumes no prior knowledge. Quite a long read, but worth every minute.

Another amazing history book by the master. History can only be read if the writer manages to intrigue his readers making every page a new discovery. R. Massey does this by providing meaningful details from original sources. Reading his books is almost like attending a lecture.Excellent history book.

An engaging,balanced and clearly-written biography. Primarily narrative rather than analytical. Peter the Great was a fascinating man, dragging Russia screaming and kicking from the medieval to the early modern age, in doing so creating a navy from scratch, fighing a war with Sweden to establish ports from which to sail it from, creating a new capital from nothing, changing the money supply, creating a new civil service and a host of other things. How he got the nergy is beyond me...Along with Peter, you get potted biographies of a host of other European leaders and descriptions of their realms. A fantastic introduction not just to Peter and Russia but to Eueope in the late 17th and early 19th century generally.

Excellent read, beautifully written, in a natural, easy-to-read style. Full of fascinating facts and details about Czar Peter and his world, it is a great story too. You'll learn a lot about Russian and European history, including the birth of of St. Petersburg, Peter's love of boats and the sea, the beginnings of the Russian navy, and the reasons why Russia continues to protect its warm water ports in Ukraine. Czar Peter is a large than life, complex character of incredible energy, and you'll also meet his advisory, the amazing Charles XII of Sweden. Highly recommended.

Wonderfully well written this epic tale of courage,vision,focus, no little luck but mostly boundless, boundless energy and drive takes the reader back to a time of nation building in its truest sense.Set in the vastness of Russia, but in a Russia far from the modern country we know today, we follow the journey of the man destined to be known to history as Peter the Great.Shaped by fear, forged in war with his soul brother Charles XII of Sweden and always driven by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and the development of his country the journey is breathtaking in its scope.Read the book and prepare to be awed by what one driven man can achieve.

Simply the best historical book I ever held in my hands. Could not put it down. My husband, who is not a big reader of historical books, said that it was a work of genius. What's more, it is written with such genuine warmth towards the subject, the culture, and this particular piece of history! I don't like impersonal writings, this one is very personal, written with such respect for Russian history and Russian people! I bought it in a very cheap, bad, paperback edition first, - very quickly realised that it was a unique and sublime piece of writing, and bought it properly published.

This is a fascinating account of the life of Peter and the countries and empires of Europe at the end of the seventeenthand the early eighteenth century, their interactions with each other and the Ottoman empire. It gives a vivid account of the lives of the peoples and the politics of that time. It reads like a thriller, is quick moving, informative, difficult to put aside, and a joyto pick up again. It is the sort of book one dreads finishing, but knows one will be happy to reread later and gaineven more insight. I read this book on my Kindle. It brings history to life, in an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable way.