Van Hoogstraten mentions under "Upcoming Products":
Nelipa, Margarita - The Murder of Grigorii Rasputin: A Conspiracy - Date Expected 09/28/2010
Rudy
I just got notice that the book was mailed to me yesterday! Can't wait!
dca
The only problem I find with Paul Gilbert's site is that his shipping is exorbitant. I have found the same exact books elsewhere for one third the shipping costs. Everything that Paul sells is listed as "heavy". I find that hard to believe and usually get the book from somewhere else where the shipping is more reasonable.
Margarita,
Please accept my apologies. It never occurred to me that you would be offended by the direction that this thread has taken.
... And also, we are all very excited about your work and are looking forward to seeing and reading the results.
Alixz
Your book will be a very big succes! I don't have read the book yet, but knowing a little bit of your personality you have written it with much love and detail. It will be a "must" to read your work, only taking in mind that you are the writer of this excellent work.
I placed an order yesterday. The book itself is $39 and he is charging $20 for shipping to the US.
My copy should be here any day...I'm really itching for it!
dca
DP biography? You mean Dimitri Pavlovitsj?
Margarita, I am very much looking forward to reading your research as I have some unpublished primary source material for the DP biography Will Lee and I are now working on. Congratulations on publishing your book!
Just to say I order the book yesterday, as I am extremly curious about it. Unfortnetly I have to wait 8 to 12 weeks. A good exercise of patience...
I too am very much looking forward to this - have orderd via surface mail, so a wee bit of a wait, but good things are worth waiting for!
I have not finished reading it, but I can tell Forum Members that Margarita's book is scholarly, footnoted, and taken from many primary sources. Because of this, it is a must have for anyone who studies the history of Imperial Russia. It looks to be very good work, Margarita!
I have not finished reading it, but I can tell Forum Members that Margarita's book is scholarly, footnoted, and taken from many primary sources. Because of this, it is a must have for anyone who studies the history of Imperial Russia. It looks to be very good work, Margarita!Great to know! Thanks for posting this Lisa!
P.S. The Free Library of Philadelphia is very excited to have a copy added to our extensive Russian History collection, awaiting to be added to our catalog!
I am still digesting it. The book is very dense, full of information and well written. I find myself reading a section then reading it over again. There are many new theories in the book that I am still thinking about. It is so well sourced that anyone with questions can work through their issues and/or speak to Margarita on here. It is much more then 'just' a book on the death or Rasputin - there is so much surrounding and background information in it that makes it a must have book and compelling read. To summarize I am still working through it and will be for awhile. The *BEST* news for me - at the end, in the writeup on Margarita, she announces that she is working on a new bio on Alexander III - I hope it is packed as densely as this book - I can't wait.
Thanks Margarita for a great read...
More to follow.
best,
dca
Dear Margarita,
I ordered your book last week from Librarie Galignani and Iam very much looking forward to read it. And how wonderfull to know about a new bio on Alexander III.
I ordered my copy this morning and I'm eager to read it.
Margarita do you know when your book on Alexander III will be completed and possibly published?
Thanks
Teresa
... So far the teasers you have given have me rushing to my mailbox in hopes of finding a miraculous expedited shipped book.
Teresa
I've been checking this thread most days but surprisingly have found no reviews or comments on Margarita's book. However, I did happen upon griff's 'Alexandra Fights Back #6' thread a little while ago and was amazed to read what he has written there about it. Posts #91-#93 make fascinating reading, and his extraordinary descriptions of various passages of her book have convinced me to order a copy.
I am posting this in case others are awaiting reviews from those who have already purchased it... wait no longer but check out griff's thread, he is himself a great writer and his posts on her book should be posted here.
I've been checking this thread most days but surprisingly have found no reviews or comments on Margarita's book. However, I did happen upon griff's 'Alexandra Fights Back #6' thread a little while ago and was amazed to read what he has written there about it. Posts #91-#93 make fascinating reading, and his extraordinary descriptions of various passages of her book have convinced me to order a copy.
I am posting this in case others are awaiting reviews from those who have already purchased it... wait no longer but check out griff's thread, he is himself a great writer and his posts on her book should be posted here.
It took six weeks to be delivered, but hip, hip, hurray, I received my copy yesterday. :)
Margarita, congratulations on your book, and thank you for writing it and for all the time and effort you have put into it! You've done a great job.
My first impression is that the book is very dense, full of information, as Dominic said. Yet it is very readable, thanks to Margarita's style of writing and her clear and structured presentation of facts, factors and actors. Personally, I like her use of summarizing lists and I also appreciate the large number of quickly identifiable quotes in indented paragraphs.
I've been checking this thread most days but surprisingly have found no reviews or comments on Margarita's book. However, I did happen upon griff's 'Alexandra Fights Back #6' thread a little while ago and was amazed to read what he has written there about it. Posts #91-#93 make fascinating reading, and his extraordinary descriptions of various passages of her book have convinced me to order a copy.
I am posting this in case others are awaiting reviews from those who have already purchased it... wait no longer but check out griff's thread, he is himself a great writer and his posts on her book should be posted here.
Thanks so much Primrose as I have wanted to wait a bit to post on this thread untill Margarita's book started to arrive in Europe. Now that Helen has the book and has read it I am sure that there will be a lively discussion. I feel that Margarita's work has elevated the discussion of Rasputin to a sound scientific level which reveals the absolute brutality of the murder. I will gladly post my remarks on my thread here. Thanks again primrose... and happy reading Helen.
Has anyone yet received the book from Galignani? I ordered it a while ago, and received a message thanking me for "reserving" it. There was nowhere on their system to enter credit details etc., and I wonder if they don't yet have their copies?
I got my copy from Paul in less then a week(I am in nyc)
Cant wait to get to it but first finnishing other books
Has anyone yet received the book from Galignani? I ordered it a while ago, and received a message thanking me for "reserving" it. There was nowhere on their system to enter credit details etc., and I wonder if they don't yet have their copies?
Has anyone yet received the book from Galignani? I ordered it a while ago, and received a message thanking me for "reserving" it. There was nowhere on their system to enter credit details etc., and I wonder if they don't yet have their copies?
Janet, I understand that 'Librairie Galignani' in Paris do have copies of my on their shelf.
Perhaps you should contact them again?
Regards,
Margarita
Hi Margarita,
First, I'm enjoying your book immensely. I'm about 1/2 way through it (I'm taking it slow so I understand all of the details)! It may be a copyright issue, but is it possible to post the photos of the step and courtyard forensic photos. A couple of them are grainy and I would like to see the details that you refer to in the text.
Regards,
Roy
Hi Margarita,
... Are we allowed to ask you questions about the content of your book in this link or should it be done elsewhere? In regard to the step outside of the basement door of the Yusupov palace, was it a flat flagstone or was it actually a raised step? The basement door seems very close to the ground in the photos.
All the Best,
Roy
On page 253, Fyodor Kuzmin is noted as coming on duty at Post 2 at the Petrovsky Bridge, then he is described at Post 150. Were there two posts or is it a misprint?
I am trying to reconcile Ella's condonation of Rasputin's murder with her role as an Abbess of a convent. I would have thought she could empathize with Rasputin's family since her own husband had been assassinated in a gruesome manner. She does not seem disgusted by the murder, instead she is worried about the welfare of the murderers. In fact, she celebrates Rasputin's death as a patriotic deed.
Margarita, did you opinion of Ella change with your research and was her participation in the plot more direct than you previously believed?
Margarita, I think that the way I posed my question does not allow for an answer. Sorry about that. I guess there really is so little information available on Ella's private activities or her involvement in Rasputin's murder that it would be difficult to answer my question. Well thanks again for all you have given us in the publication of your book.
Hi everyone,
Copies of my book are now also available from 'van Hoogstraten' bookstore in Den Haag in The Netherlands.
Further details are available here: http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/product_info.php?products_id=445
Margarita
Hi everyone,
Copies of my book are now also available from 'van Hoogstraten' bookstore in Den Haag in The Netherlands.
Further details are available here: http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/product_info.php?products_id=445
Margarita
Hi everyone,
Copies of my book are now also available from 'van Hoogstraten' bookstore in Den Haag in The Netherlands.
Further details are available here: http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/product_info.php?products_id=445
Margarita
Miracles are not out of the world. I've ordered my copy.
Hi everyone,
Copies of my book are now also available from 'van Hoogstraten' bookstore in Den Haag in The Netherlands.
Further details are available here: http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/product_info.php?products_id=445
Margarita
THANK THE LORD!!!! ANOTHER RED LETTER DAY!!!! This is really going to great for so many people!!!!
Dear Margarita,
I finished your excellent book! First, I would like to commend your persistance in researching the numerous conflicting accounts of Rasputin's murder and bringing together a plausible and reasonable assessment of his death. Your book is excellent, but there is a lot of information to digest. I used the appendix a lot to keep the numerous characters straight. I also found a map of St. Petersburg helpful to follow your descriptions of the paths taken by by the conspirators.
I did have a couple of questions for clarification. Please excuse me if I missed this in your book.
Question #1:
Question #2:
Question #3
I hope I haven't asked too many questions. Again, you did a great job!
Roy
Question #1:
With bullet #2 hitting the right kidney and lodging in the cervical spine, was the shot most likely delivered in an upward trajectory from the staircase? I was picturing Purishkevich shooting upwards from the lower landing of the staircase leading to the courtyard of the Yusupov Palace. The upward shot would have passed through the lower back hitting the kidney and travel upwards to the cervical spine as Rasputin was trying to exit through the door.
Question #2:
Is it possible that the boot injuries to Rasputin's face and head overlapped with injuries from the bridge? How can a pathologist differentiate betweent the two since they are both blunt force injuries. I agree with your explanation as to why the truncheon was excluded.
Question #3
On page 410, you mention that Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich was upset by the thought of Mikhail becoming regent. Why was he so upset? Did he not want the Monarchy to continue even in a constituional form or did he want another candiate (Kirill) to be tsar?
... When I asked the question, I was trying to determine when the nose and cheek were most likely fractured. During the beating or during the fall from the bridge. I know Kosorotov felt a number of his injuries occurred when Rasputin's body was dumped and looking through Appendix 6 I see that based on the blood patterns you thought the facial and nasal injuries most likely occurred at this time as well. I just thought that if Yusupov was angry enough to kick his victim, he would have caused numerous injuries to the face and head with the boots.
In regards to Question #3, you presented compelling evidence that the Grand Dukes certainly wanted to remove Nicholas II and wanted a change in the status of the government. I am perplexed by what they thought a "new" form of government that was not aligned with monarchy would do for them. Certainly they would loose their royal status and their exalted position within society. I'm not certain what role they would fulfill in this new structure. Would they all have become wealthy landowners???
I apologize if I have been too long winded, but your book really made me think and brought up a lot of questions I had never thought of before.
One other area that I found interesting was the British Intelligence Service and Ambassador Buchanan's endorsement of Rasputin's murder. I was dismayed that the Entente members secretly switched their allegiance to the Provisional Government prior to Nicholas II's formal abdication. I guess to sum it up, my view of Rasputin's murder changed in the sense that I never realized how complex the murder plan was and the extent that it rocked the Imperial government.
I just recieved the current issue of Royalty Digest Quarterly (which is an invaluable source of historic facts often publishing private letters and facts that are not available any where else) and the issue included a three page review of Margarita Nelipa's The Murder of Rasputin, by Charlotte Zeepvat.
Charlotte's review was as scholarly and thoughtfully written as Margarita's book.
...I found Charlotte's closing remarks as not only honest but also inspiring:
Many readers will find its conclusions hard to take and some may not even try. I was sceptical at first, but I have to say that Margarita Nelipa's account works for me in a way that other versions of the story never have. History is a matter of evaluating evidence and making choices: few things are set in stone. If you have an interest in imperial Russia and its fall you should at least read this book. What you make of it is up to you. [Ref: Charlotte Zeepvat, Royalty Digest Quarterly, "Book Review," (Issue No. 3, 2010), [pp. 58-60.]
...I believe that this is what has been happening since the Russian Archives were opened a decade ago and clearly Margarita's work on Rasputin is part and parcel of what I like to call the early 21st century reassessment movement.
P.S.
Not in the window, but inside the shop, department literature in English, History, in the middle of the shop.
P.S.
Not in the window, but inside the shop, department literature in English, History, in the middle of the shop.(http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz18/Romanov11/Galignani.jpg)
... still and all that is so great that Margarita's book is displayed and as Gerjo said, that is a wonderful photogarph!!! The bookstore must be really an incredible place. I was reading on their website that they have a long history of supplying Paris with books written in English.
So Margarita, you are going to do a sort of European tour again next year?
Dear Margarita
Any chance Amazon will pick up the book?
Dear Margarita--
Thank you. I've read so much about your book in this Forum and I'm dying to read it.
Best
Petr
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The picture it presents is balanced and rational. Well worth getting.
P.S.
Not in the window, but inside the shop, department literature in English, History, in the middle of the shop.
Many thanks for taking the photograph Rudy!!! I intend to visit Librairie Galignani next June whilst conducting my research duties in France relating to Alexander III.
Margarita[/color]
Dear Margarita
What are you planning vis a vis AIII? Bought your book from Gilbert am awaiting delivery.
Regards,
Petr
Yes, the last two posts really summed it all up well. The Rasputin portrayed by Margarita is a far more realistic person than the legendary Rasputin. Her portrait of what Rasputin was very much coincides with how I have come to understand him over the years, and thinking about him as an Orthodox believer, how the Tsar and Tsaritsa, also being Orthodox, could have had time for him, if indeed, he was as is popularly believed. Once again, well done to Margarita for what is probably the most accurate portrait so far of Rasputin.
Dear Margarita
What are you planning vis a vis AIII? Bought your book from Gilbert am awaiting delivery.
Regards,
Petr
Aloha all!
I'm so looking forward to reading this new book on Rasputin by one of our very own forum members - that is always an added thrill!
I love the picture from Librarie Galignani in Paris - when I visited there earlier this year I thought I was in heaven for all the royalty based books they carried - I shipped quite a few back!
I am planning a return visit next year and now I will have a book on my "must find" list - I just hope I can wait that long! It looks like a wonderful read about a fascinating and usually stereotyped individual in Romanov history!
And last question (I think), what, in your opinion, were the hopes of all of these Grand-Dukes and relatives, renting for a more liberal regime or even a republic. Did they really think it will be better for Russia, did they really were ready to sacrifice a big part of their privileges, which could not not have happened (and happened, and in such a way!)
... And, I thought the picture you quoted as Dimitri with Alexandra Feodorovna represented in fact Dimitri with Ella? Or am I wrong?
I wanted to express some personal opinions, but it will be another time. Once more, thank you very much for you work. Waiting for your answer and… your next book!
...Then, I wanted to let you know (but you probably already correct it) that mitropolit Pitirim was not killed by the Bolsheviks, but died of typhus on the south of Russia. See more exact information in the Memories of metropolit Evlogy Georguievsky or the Memories of prince Jevahov (perhaps also Shavelsky, not sure any more). The place where bishop Feophan (page 549) died is in fact well know, it is the little place of Limeray, the french village near the river Loire where he used to live as a hermit in a grotte.
I have to say this was book I was glad to add to my collection.
I have to say that I'm glad Margarita was able to uncover how involved Princess Yusupova was in the events leading up the murder. For years all one could find noted casually was that she was 'a fierce opponent of Rasputin' but nothing else that would have implicated her in any wrong doing. While Felix Yusupov's role in the murder was always question, I feel Margarita presented a wonderful insight as to why he became involved in the plot. I can honestly say I was more than a little suprised at the facts presented which had me simply stunned at times.
This is definitely a book I hope every high school and university adds to their selection on the Romanovs. It was truly a fact filled book that brought to light many things which will no doubt change how one views not only the murder victim, but members of the Romanov family as well. I will not repeat what many others have already written in this thread, except this is really an exceptional book I would encourage everyone to read.
Was the Imperial Family wrong to want to remove Rasputin? I don't think so, but their method (murder) was clearly wrong, and not only that, it was ineffectual and had many unintended consequences.
The photograph on the interior page shows the actual face of the man and one can see there is nothing nice about his facial expression or his eyes. That man in the photograph looks like a prowling wolf. His expression is feral. He is not someone I would like to meet in a dark alley and certainly not someone I would trust with my children's safety.
The beauty of this book is Margarita's restraint in offering her own opinions throughout the book. She presents facts and analysis and really trusts the reader to reach their own conclusions. To me what she makes clear is that Nicholas held firm (which kind of makes him not so weak willed, no?) in standing up to his family and saying, no, murder is always wrong. ...
Is this a previously unpublished photo?
Very much hoping to find it under my tree. : ) I dropped some pretty strong hints....my husband is not one for subtlety.
Is this a previously unpublished photo?
To my knowledge, the portrait that appears on the cover of my book has never been previously published in any biographic study of Rasputin in the West or in Russia.
I meant the one on the interior page, that Alixz describes as "feral." I don't recall a photo of Rasputin ever striking me that intensely, so I'm wondering if it's a new photo or a matter of individual interpretation.
... Even though I still haven't finished the book and I think that I might not be able to, I can not buy into the Rasputin who was innocent victim of a conspiracy conducted by most of the Imperial Family.
...I am glad that new information is constantly disseminated and that history is treated as fluid and is always being examined as new evidence is released.
Margarita has done a marvelous job of hunting up new information and confirming some of the old. Just the time and effort that it took to put the whole thing together amazes me. I am always in awe of those who have the time and the money and the energy to do the leg work so that the rest of us can a reap the benefits of their effort.
Lisa said:
She (Margarita) presents facts and analysis and really trusts the reader to reach their own conclusions.
That is a good thing. Not everyone who reads this book will accept that the accrued information has been pieced together in the only way possible. Some may say "Eureka" and some may say "No eureka moment yet, I still have questions that have not been answered." But either way the thought processes will have been stimulated.
Margarita, I received your book for Christmas - sometimes my husband does pay attention. ; ) I can't wait to be able to dig into it.
I'm also stunned at the seeming....eagerness...of the Romanov family to subscribe to the gossip and rumour without giving serious thought about the "evidence" presented to them. Is this simply hindsight on my part? I don't know.I've wondered about this for a long time, too. I've often thought that certain members of the Romanov family were not truly interested in the truth about Rasputin and that, if there hadn't been a Rasputin, they would have invented him.
I am inclined to agree with Alixz's opinions. I am looking forward to reading Margarita's book
and studying what it says, however.
Margarita, I'm having trouble putting your book down. ...
... I have lost a lot of sleep due to reading late into the night, reading the same passages over and over again.
Margarita, I'm having trouble putting your book down. ...
... I have lost a lot of sleep due to reading late into the night, reading the same passages over and over again.
Dear historyfan,
I am delighted that you are enjoying my book so much, but alas I fear for your lack of sleep!
Best regards,
Margarita
Ah well. : ) I can't read and sleep at the same time, so....
The Nikolai Mikhailovitch you refer to, this is the brother of Sandro (married to Xenia)?
If my mind is boggled reading your book, I can only imagine how you felt uncovering the information for it!
More shock - Rasputin never was poisoned? Every single thing I have ever read has stated that he was, but it didn't work. I think the information that no poison was used is up there with the most astounding revelations. I've yet to get to the section on the perils of handling cyanide. I'm sorry if I sound like some sort of hysteric, but really, this is just fascinating and I can't stop reading.
More shock - Rasputin never was poisoned? Every single thing I have ever read has stated that he was, but it didn't work.
Rasputin's daughter Maria actually claimed in one of her voluminous sets of memoirs that she did not believe he had been poisoned. Her reasoning was that he hated sweet cakes and would not have eaten any if they were offered him (see Rasputin, my father, p 111). THis makes me wonder whether she was speculating - or how much she herself actually knew of the autopsy report?
See also Greg King The man who killed Rasputin for references to Lazovert admitting that he substituted some other powder for cyanide.
I have a copy of Margarita's book but regret that I haven't yet had time to read much due to the demands of my own projects, but I will home on the politics, as I generally do!
I sometimes think the poison myth was cultivated over the years as a means to put forward Rasputin was not merely human, but a monster deserving death... " he was given enough poison to kill many men , but it could not not kill him! " Demonizing the victim etc. His name is now synonymous with someone or thing that will not die normally....
I sometimes think the poison myth was cultivated over the years as a means to put forward Rasputin was not merely human, but a monster deserving death... " he was given enough poison to kill many men , but it could not not kill him! " Demonizing the victim etc. His name is now synonymous with someone or thing that will not die normally....
It is far more interesting to invent a scenario in which the use of a potent poison proved so ineffective that the conspirators were compelled to resort to other means.
Mr King's book "The Murder of Rasputin" @ p 173 stated the following:
"There were also repeated rumors of a deathbed confession by Lazovert in which he alleged that he had deliberately substituted a harmless chemical at the last minute."
In my edition of the book, no references were provided as to where any of these rumors came from.
I'm curious about the imperial family's knowledge of the details of the murder. Would Nikolai have been made aware of the true details of the autopsy, or would he and his family have been susceptible to the same popular rumors circulating among the public (ie, the poisoning, drowning, and Rasputin's hand frozen in the sign of benediction)?
What is the source of Maria Nikolaevna's ink drawing shown on page 508? It's very pretty -- I don't recall seeing it before.
Mr King's book "The Murder of Rasputin" @ p 173 stated the following:
"There were also repeated rumors of a deathbed confession by Lazovert in which he alleged that he had deliberately substituted a harmless chemical at the last minute."
In my edition of the book, no references were provided as to where any of these rumors came from.
True; but anyone can contact him to ask questions. My main point to historyfan is that not all previous historians have uncritically accepted the poisoning tale.
Hopefully I will have time soon to read the rest of your book.
I have read this wonderfull work of Mrs Nelipa. This biography about Rasputin and the fall of the Romanov dynasty is well recearched and detailed. It contains new information about the person Rasputin and the influence at the Russian court. I like the style in which this book is written: cold case style. And let us see, what the true influence was of Rasputin on the Imperial couple. I'm looking forward to read the next book of Mrs Nelipa, Alexander III.
Margarita, perhaps this is slightly off-topic, but I have a question about the Russian language as I've read it in your book. It's regarding surnames. I understood that the surname of a Russian female is the same as that of her husband or her father, but with a suffix, like "skaya" or "ova". Example "Matrena Rasputina".
However, many times when I have read the transliteration of a headline regarding Rasputin, his name is changed to read "Rasputina". Example "Delo Rasputina". Why is that? I'm just confused about why the name suddenly appears "feminized".
Margarita, perhaps this is slightly off-topic, but I have a question about the Russian language as I've read it in your book. It's regarding surnames. I understood that the surname of a Russian female is the same as that of her husband or her father, but with a suffix, like "skaya" or "ova". Example "Matrena Rasputina".
However, many times when I have read the transliteration of a headline regarding Rasputin, his name is changed to read "Rasputina". Example "Delo Rasputina". Why is that? I'm just confused about why the name suddenly appears "feminized".
Following my visit to the van Hoogstraten bookstore in Den Haag, signed copies of my book are now available for purchase.
Special thanks are extended to the proprietor Annet Bakker, who welcomed me most graciously.
Margarita Nelipa
Following my visit to the van Hoogstraten bookstore in Den Haag, signed copies of my book are now available for purchase.
Special thanks are extended to the proprietor Annet Bakker, who welcomed me most graciously.
Margarita Nelipa
Suffering jet lag ... I failed to add the appropriate link:
Please refer to the folllowing link: http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/product_info.php?products_id=445
I actually bought it through Amazon and, even though I wasn't on the best of terms with the price, I don't regret it. After reading through the first chapter, (it may have been speed reading :D) I had take a minute. I learned quite a bit from it, and I sure am I happy. Great job Margarita!
....Margarita Nelipa’s groundbreaking new book is based on a host of previously unknown Russian sources, including primary documents such as newspapers of the day and original police depositions, diaries and Duma documents all translated by the author. Extensive annotations and comprehensive appendices add academic strength to this popular history. .....
(sorry, I am a little late to the discussion)
will be ordering this book when I return home for the summer
until then my mind is blown. MF was in on a plot to overthrow Nicholas??? I just can't believe this. her diary gives no indication.
Marie, Yussopovs, even Ella I can understand. but the Tsar's own mother!!
Margarita, I am very much looking forward to reading your research as I have some unpublished primary source material for the DP biography Will Lee and I are now working on. Congratulations on publishing your book!
Thank you for your congratulations Lisa!
You will find that Dmitri Pavlovich who accepted his role in the conspiracy, will present in a very different manner to that previously described.
Best regards,
Margarita
As I haven't read this book yet could someone inform me what was GD Dmitri's role in this murder. I would be very grateful!