For more than a hundred years after Europeans had begun populating
the Atlantic shores of North America, the Pacific coast of that
continent remained a blank on their maps and in their minds. When
Russians from Siberia first sighted the mountains of Alaska in
1741, they called it the Great Land. In fact they were glimpsing
part of a 4,000-mile stretch of virgin coastline, reaching from
Western Alaska to Oregon to Southern California. As far as Spanish
Mexico, all was uncharted and unknown. Its water, its salmon, its
sea otters, its sunshine, its trees and its harbours remained the
preserve of Native Americans, and were entirely free of
international commerce.But time was not standing still. In the
second half of the eighteenth century, Europeans were aggressively
taking their way of life to every corner of the globe. Northwest
America could not remain exempt from this process. Who would be the
first to settle the coast that was destined to become the cultural
and economic powerhouse of the world? The answer to this question
was not obvious. This book is the story of how Western America very
nearly came to be a possession of the Empire of Russia." A
fascinating and near-forgotten history brought vividly to
life."Colin Thubron"What a terrific book - it's incredibly well
researched and written and tells a story about which I, for one,
knew nothing! I was amazed by the cast of characters that Jeremy
uncovered - battling away in those terrible conditions. It makes
our lives seem very tame. What a triumph!"Rosie Boycott"The central
premise of this wonderful book is, at first sight, scarcely
believable: that the world's largest country was on the brink of
extending its empire along the entire length of America's Pacific
shore, thereby making San Francisco as Russian as St Petersburg and
annexing Hawaii as an outpost of Siberia. Yet through meticulous
research combined with a natural flair for story-telling, Jeremy
Atiyah bestows this astonishing sequence of events with
credibility. He weaves a compelling tale of heroism, intrigue and
betrayal that begins with Catherine the Great and ends in the
twilight of the Russian Empire and the ascendancy of America."Simon
Calder"The story of Russia's colony in America is known to very few
people in Britain. Not only, however, is it one of history's odder
side-paths, packed with strange people and events: it is also a
fascinating "might-have-been". Jeremy Atiyah tells this story in an
accurate and informative narrative which is also great fun to
read".Professor Dominic Lieven, London School of Economics, author
of The Russian Empire and its Rivals."What if the Russian Empire
had succeeded in colonising North America's Pacific coast? And why
did they not succeed? Just how close did they come to doing so - at
a time when the Atlantic colonies were struggling to create the
United States? Jeremy Atiyah offers intriguing answers to questions
that I never knew enough even to ask."Lord Howe of Aberavon"Not
many people know that Alaska and the whole north-west coast down to
San Francisco almost became Russian. Jeremy Atiyah tells an
astonishing story of Russian adventurers, half a world away from St
Petersburg, struggling for empire, financed by furs and sea-otter
skins. As if a brutal climate and hostile natives were not enough,
the Russians had to contend with the growing ambitions of the
Spanish, American and British governments. With Europe immersed in
the Napoleonic Wars, the area became a giant chess-board of trade,
diplomacy, exploration and adventure, played out across the whole
North Pacific triangle, with Hawaii a paradise against the cold,
damp hell of the northwest coast - at its apex. The Russians came
out top. Russia owned Alaska until 'the cold dead hand of St
Petersburg' threw away their most distant outpost by selling the
whole region to the US in 1867, for a mere $7.2 million. This is
surely one of the most astonishing real-estate deals in history. It
is a tribute to Atiyah's skill as a historian and story-teller that
he balances sources from all nationalities, while bringing these
wilderness regions and their cast of extremely odd personalities to
vivid life."John Man, writer, author of The Guttenberg Revolution,
Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection and
Kublai Khan."Jeremy Atiyah's The Great Land is a welcome addition
to the literature on Russian presence on the Pacific Rim. Based on
his judicious use of sources, the result is a highly readable and
instructive analysis of Russian attempts to establish colonial
footholds in Alaska, California and Hawaii at the end of the 18th
and early 19th centuries. This book belongs in every library and in
the collection of every history buff." Basil Dmytryshyn, Professor
Emeritus of History, Portland State University.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
