Books by Orlando Figes

4. Orlando Figes, The Story of Russia .  A decent introduction for those who are not so well-informed.

1. Orlando Figes, The Europeans: Three Lives and the Making of a Cosmopolitan Culture .  The three lives are Turgenev, his mistress Pauline Viardot, and the husband of his mistress, Louis Viardot, a noted financier and activist.  Consistently interesting, even if you are not looking to read about those three particular figures.

Orlando Figes, A Crimean War .