Show Posts

Is anyone familiar with this book:

EMPIRE OF THE TSARS: The Splendor and the Fall: Pictures and Documents 1896-1920
by Elizabeth Heresch
ISBN 3784423302
Publisher: Stroitel, Russia 1991

I have an opportunity to buy a copy at what seems to be a fair price, but I've never seen the book firsthand. (A family member on vacation ran across it and offered to bring it home for me.) My primary interest is in NAOTMAA's personal lives, and I have many of the major photo albums and print sources -- see which ones here. Is this book likely to have many unique documents and/or images?

40

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Dubious quote attributed to Aleksei's 1917 diary

« on: March 28, 2009, 07:53:14 PM »

On page 232 Romanov Autumn, Charlotte Zeepvat quotes an entry alleged to be from the autumn of Aleksei's 1917 diary:

"In this place I am beginning to understand the worth truth. At Tsarskoe Selo everybody lied. If I become Tsar one day, no-one will dare lie to me. I will sort things out in country."

It's a very affecting sentiment, but after having read Aleksei's 1916 and 1918 diaries, I'm almost certain Aleksei never wrote this in his diary. The tsarevich's diaries are overwhelmingly an account of his daily activities, not his thoughts and feelings. I can't think of a single entry vaguely like this -- not one instance in which he considers an abstract idea like truth, or speculates about the future, or even his own position. According to Nicholas and Alexandra: The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia, the whereabouts of Aleksei's 1917 diary are not even known.

The reference given for the quotation is page 198 of Le Tsarevitch, enfant martyr, which in turn refers to page 63 of Wilton's The Last Days of the Romanovs as its source. Perhaps I'm looking at a different edition of Wilton, but there is nothing to do with Aleksei or his diary on page 63.

Has anyone else seen this quote in a print source?

41

Romanov and Imperial Russia Links / Polish speaker needed!

« on: March 26, 2009, 05:57:48 PM »

For the first time in 4 years, I've mysteriously exceeded my monthly Photobucket bandwidth allowance. I suspect direct-linking to my albums by Romanov fan sites may be the culprit, so I'm trying to track down and eliminate links. I came across this page, which appears to have direct text links to albums by quite a few AP members:

http://www.romanowowie.fora.pl/zdjecia,11/wasze-ulubione-zdjecia-carskiej-rodziny,23-15.html

However, I don't speak Polish, so I can't ask the admin to remove the links. Any volunteers?

42

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / THE FETCH, by Laura Whitcomb

« on: March 06, 2009, 09:02:11 AM »

I'm just over halfway through this YA fantasy with a Romanov connection and enjoying it more than I expected to:

THE FETCH
by Laura Whitcomb

If you're a nitpicker, steer clear. This is very much a fantasy, albeit minus any orange laser beams shooting from Olga's eyes. ;-) However, the plot and premise are rather clever in the way they address a number of prominent Romanov/Rasputin mysteries. In spite of the flubs my internal Romanov-meter is racking up, I'm curious to see how everything gets wrapped up in the end.

If you like an interesting yarn, check it out at the library or have a skim next time you're in a bookstore. It's certainly not going to appeal to all Romanovphiles, but I think some of you might enjoy the ride. Read the first chapter here and see what you think.

43

Forum Announcements / Georgian and Armenian speakers wanted!

« on: February 19, 2009, 09:43:57 AM »

Hi all,

If anyone here is a speaker of Georgian and/or Armenian, would you please PM me? I'm looking for Romanov-related translation help.

Thanks,
Sarah

44

Imperial Transportation / Was Rasputin ever aboard the Standart

« on: February 19, 2009, 08:30:43 AM »

I've always thought this room was a cabin aboard the Standart:

(Albeit mostly because of the girls' sailor suits and the lifebouy-shaped photo frame on the wall in the first photo.)

However, this photo of Rasputin in the same room is labeled by Prince Michael of Greece as having been taken in "Tsarskoye Selo" in 1908:

Does anyone know for sure where this room was -- Tsarskoye Selo or the Standart?

45

Anastasia Nicholaievna / Coded signature in wartime letters?

« on: February 12, 2009, 10:27:24 AM »

In her 1914 and 1915 letters to Nicholas, Anastasia often included a varying series of initials in her signature:

АНРПЗСГ (ANRPZSG)
АНРПЕСГ (ANRPESG)
АНРПКСГ (ANRPKSG)
АНРИКЗС (ANRIKZS)
АНРПКЗС (ANRPKZS)
АНРПКЗСГ (ANRPKZSG)
АНРТКЗС (ANRTKZS)
АНПРТКЗСГ (ANPRTKZSG)

I'm fairly sure that the first three letters, АНР(ANR), are her own initials. Has anyone ever deciphered what the rest of them might stand for? I'm guessing something to do with the military -- possibly the girls' honorary regiments? -- but I really don't know. Incidentally, in late 1915 Anastasia seems to drop this habit entirely; perhaps that timing is significant.

Any help is appreciated. I can quote full signatures and the closing of the letters in which these codes appear (from Royal Sisters of Mercy) if additional context would be of use.

News:

Topics - Sarushka

Tsarevich Alexei Nicholaievich / Alexei Photothread Index

Anastasia Nicholaievna / Anastasia Pictures V

Anastasia Nicholaievna / Anastasia Photothreads Index

Maria Nicholaievna / Maria photos III

Maria Nicholaievna / Maria Photothread Index

Tatiana Nicholaievna / Tatiana Photothread Index

Olga Nicholaievna / Olga Photothreads index