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Behold, Long Awaited Russian Book #2 -- a full 5 weeks ahead of schedule!

Not only is it rare as heck (original 1927 print run: 1,000 copies) but it's also the cutest little dang thing. Just the right size to cradle half-open in one reverent palm - so as not to break the binding, of course.

Long-awaited Russian book #1 has finally arrived. According to my Austro-Russian online buddy, in spite of the annoyingly reverential tone of the biography, it's supplemented with "many precious documents" which you will find "only after a very big search." Well I've been searching for at least four years, and now it's mine-all-mine.

Two techinical hints:
1. Make sure you've got MS Silverlight installed.

2. When you get to the Russian sites, click on the red text next to this little icon to actually see the photos:

(That's "foto" in Russian. It's on the lower left of the screen, and if you're lucky, it might even be in English.)

Then sit back and bask in the wonderment. I was up until nearly 3 am the other night...

Until my Canadian Romanov-buddy comes visiting, this uber-rare little honey is in my care:Les Dernieres Annees de la Cour De Tzarskoie-Selo[Last Days of the Court at Tsarskoye Selo]by Alexandre SpiridovitchIt's volume one of a memoir by Nicholas II's personal chief of security, and it looks, feels, and smells exactly the way an 81-year-old book should. I can't read French, but who cares -- it's

THE FETCH
by Laura Whitcomb

(Houghton Mifflin)

Here I am, a card-carrying Romanov Fiction Nitpicker. For years I've been studying every accessible cranny of these people's lives right down to their carpeting, which makes me virtually impossible to please when it comes to the myriad details of setting, wardrobe, and personality. It's petty, but just a peek at one misidentified photo can start me off in an imperial snit.

And yet this plot (which you can fill yourself in on here) intrigued me enough to squelch my internal flub meter. Also, while the main character, Calder, doesn't recognize the significance of some of the Romanov family scenes he witnesses early on, I sure did, and they gave me the willies - in a good way. Despite my quibbles, I wanted to know what happens - or more precisely, how it happens. Make no mistake, this is purely fantasy, but I don't think I've seen another novel tackle so many aspects of the Romanov/Rasputin mythology, and all without falling back on tired old survival theories. Extra bonus points for working in a role for the oft-forgetten sailor, Nagorny.

Sample the first chapter here.

Probably you don't speak Russian well enough to fully enjoy this (neither do I, actually) but the gist is that an entirely unknown photograph album belonging to Tsar Nicholas II has surfaced in Ekaterinburg. Ignore the Russian jabber and just gawk at the pictures:

Apparently some sort of crack has opened somewhere in the firmament and it's leaking Romanov photos. Three more formal jaw-droppers debuted this week:

 

Darmstadt Germany, 1910


Grand Duchesses Maria & Anastasia

1914


Imperial children

You may have noticed I'm not participating in Mother Reader's 48-Hour Book Challenge. As much as I do read, more than 3-4 hours at a stretch makes me feel like the walls are closing in. Goofy, huh?

But it's not like I won't be reading this weekend. On the contrary, the mail carrier will probably be relieved to know that I'm no longer stalking her. This has finally arrived, hot off the British printing presses:

Hey, everyone, and Happy 2008! Once again, I (Carl) hope you had a good holiday break. I sure did. Now it's back to school, huh? Do you all like this first day back or not? Some don't because they've had such a good time during the break; others get bored, miss their friends, and are ready to get back. Me? I enjoy what I do, so I don't mind. Well, in any case, here are some books to enjoy:

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide by Ryder Windham. Boy, this book really lives up to the title! This really has to be the ULTIMATE guide to the Star Wars Universe. Not only does it cover all 6 movies, it gives the history of the galaxy before the movies, information on the Jedi and Sith orders (Darth Bill could told them about that!), behind-the-scenes info from the movies, and videos games based on Star Wars. I really liked that they also included artwork from some the Star Wars magazines and comics as well as photos from the movies. If you have the least interest in Star Wars, this is the book for you!

The 2000 Year Old Man Goes To School by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. OK, I have to tallk about another picture book, but this one is funny and everyone would like it. A 2000-year-old man goes to an elementary school and gets questions from the kids like, "What did you use for transportation?" ("Mostly fear...an animal would growl at you and you'd go 2 miles in a minute!") You also found out that Murray was the world's greatest inventor, no matter what happened to him. There's a CD that goes with this book. I haven't heard it, but I know it would be funny because Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner are a comedy team from way back. I've him them do this before and it's great! So don't wait 2000 years--go get it now!