Through the centuries, Russia has swung between successful expansionism, catastrophic collapse, and spectacular recovery. This illuminating history traces these cycles from the late Neolithic age to Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great; from the height of Communism to the truncated Russian Federation of today.

The narrative takes in the magnificent cities of Kiev, Moscow, and St Petersburg, and stretches to Alaska in the east, to the Black Sea and the Ottoman Empire in the south, to the Baltic in the west, and to the Arctic Ocean in the north - asking what the future holds for Russia and her neighbours.

Praise for Phillip Longworth:

'This attractive account comes from an expert' - Robert Service, Sunday Times

'Vivid, highly readable... brilliantly ambitious' - Literary Review

'Absorbing... [full of] fascinating detail' - Scotsman

'Excellent' - Anne Applebaum, author of Gulag