The Three Emperors by Miranda Carter

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

I have rented this book from the library and, flicking through, found a picture (no.18) labeled as Xeina, Olga and Nicholas. To me, it doesn't look like Nicholas at all! Has anyone got the book? Does anyone know what I'm on about?
Here's the picture:
http://nd04.jxs.cz/046/197/cdda60f6ce_69514164_o2.jpg
Here it is labeled as Xeina, Misha and Olga.

[Kalafrana]

I think it is Xenia, Mikhail and Olga. Olga looks 3 or 4 in that picture. She was born in 1882 so 14 years younger than Nicholas. The boy looks about eight (Mikhail was born in 1878) and anyway looks much more like Mikhail in features and colouring than Nicholas.

I would hazard a guess that the picture was taken about 1886-87, when Nicholas was a young adult in military training rather than a boy in a sailor suit.

Ann

[aleksandr pavlovich]

I have rented this book from the library and, flicking through, found a picture (no.18) labeled as Xeina, Olga and Nicholas. To me, it doesn't look like Nicholas at all! Has anyone got the book? Does anyone know what I'm on about?
Here's the picture:
http://nd04.jxs.cz/046/197/cdda60f6ce_69514164_o2.jpg
Here it is labeled as Xeina, Misha and Olga.

  I am definitely of the opinion that it is the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich.  Regards,   AP.

[Rodney_G.]

Definitely Michael Alexandrovich. And who knows  who to blame for the misatttribution, the author or publisher/editor. In any case, I liked the book somewhat, but it wasn't exactly groundbreaking.

[blessOTMA]

Indeed Michael Alexandrovich, and he seems to be showing off his toy soldiers....I found the book a good read.  Sadly it's rare royal book that doesn't have at least one mistake in the photos captions !

[Sarushka]

Sadly it's rare royal book that doesn't have at least one mistake in the photos captions !

At least some of these mistakes are due to incorrect captions by Getty and Corbis. For example, at the Getty site the photo of NOTMAA on the greenhouse roof at Tobolsk is labeled as Ekaterinburg. Newspapers, magazines, and publishers often use the captions from those sources verbatim without realizing they're wrong.  

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

I have finished the book and was mostly impressed. The author knew her subject and wrote consistently well.  The childhoods and adult lives of the three cousins were very well documented and their emotions were well estimated.
However, the author seemed to be very fond of familiar nicknames e.g. 'Willy' 'Ducky' 'Georgie' and used them continually through the book. I understand that we can use them on the forum but this is not a published historical work. I wasn't expecting that.
Another thing was that once we got to the actual war years, the book seemed to finish very abruptly. After 400 pages of careful analysis, it ended with just 15 or so. I was left wanting more.
So, to sum it up, this book is very informative on the childhood and young adulthoods of Wilhelm, George and Nicholas, but not of the war that they managed to get in the middle of.
GDI

[historyfan]

Well, that kind of makes sense. There are other books that cover their role in the causes of WWI - "King, Kaiser, Tsar" comes to mind. Too bad the author doesn't...sorry.  : (

I don't like the use of familiar nicknames in historical works either.

[Janet Ashton]

Well, that kind of makes sense. There are other books that cover their role in the causes of WWI - "King, Kaiser, Tsar" comes to mind. Too bad the author doesn't...sorry.  : (

Catrine Clay I think! PERSONALLY, I think Miranda Carter's book is better, and would choose it of the two.

[Janet Ashton]

I don't like the use of familiar nicknames in historical works either.

Oh - and - neither do I. I hate it less if the author is being a bit snarky about the people involved, though - what I can't stand is when there is a cloying tone, as if these people were members of the author's family: "Wasn't Missy a clever girl" etc etc

[bestfriendsgirl]

I'm actually reading this right now- it's very imformative!

[Ilana]

I know and understand how all of you feel about nick-names.  I used them myself, and the reason being to distinguish one from the other since there were so many Victoria's and Alberts and Alexanders and Henrys.  You can see the author's problem! : )

[historyfan]

I know and understand how all of you feel about nick-names.  I used them myself, and the reason being to distinguish one from the other since there were so many Victoria's and Alberts and Alexanders and Henrys.  You can see the author's problem! : )

: )  I do see. I personally prefer, say "Victoria of Prussia" instead of Vicky, or "Edward VII" instead of Bertie, in published works, but that's just my opinion. I won't *not* read a work if it uses nicknames, but I would avoid it if the overall tone were of overfamiliarity.

[historyfan]

Well, that kind of makes sense. There are other books that cover their role in the causes of WWI - "King, Kaiser, Tsar" comes to mind. Too bad the author doesn't...sorry.  : (

Catrine Clay I think! PERSONALLY, I think Miranda Carter's book is better, and would choose it of the two.

I could Google it, but I think you're right, Janet. Well, now I have to go find Miranda Carter's book!

[Alixz]

The problem that I find with nicknames vs given names is that so many - for example - Edward VII were Albert Edward or Bertie in childhood, but never King Albert in his adult life.  So if one calls him King Edward VII when he was young but not yet king, then it can become confusing as his name was actually Albert Edward and he was known in his childhood as "Bertie".

It makes the reader have to learn the youthful names and then know what adult names the person chose to use.  

As for family nicknames like "Ducky" for Victoria Melita, I would just prefer that she be called Victoria Melita all the time.  The same for her sister Marie daughter of Marie of Coburg or Marie Duchess of Edinburg who was actually Marie Alexandrovna Romanova.

I don't like using "Missy" for Marie (one of the Edinburg girls), but calling her Queen Marie before she was is also confusing.

If we have problems, just think about those who haven't yet mastered the family relationships?