Douglas Smith, Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30). This harrowing chronicle is, incredibly, the first full-length history of of the mass murder of Russia’s aristocrats and noble families in the wake of the Russian Revolution. It’s a superb piece of work, utterly direct and unforgettably honest, which tells the truth without falling victim to dewy-eyed nostalgia for the “good old days” of fantastic wealth and working-class immiseration. Recommended without reservation (TT).
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
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