Writing a book-- help me research?

[JacksonPearce]

Hello all!
I'm new to these boards, and recently signed a contract to write a YA historical fantasy set in Imperial Russia, featuring a teen girl with some pretty significant ties to the Romanov family right around the time of their deaths. I'm incredibly excited about this project-- I love the time period and setting, of course, but also adore this particular story. I've already done quite a bit of research, but of course, there's always more to read, watch, and learn. Can anyone recommend documentaries (shows or movies) on Imperial Russia or the Romanov family? I'm already planning to watch (or rewatch, in a few cases) the following:

National Geographic: Finding Anastasia
National Geographic: Mystery of the Romanovs
Open Yale Courses Russia lecture (http://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-202/lecture-19)
Nicholas and Alexandra (a drama, I know, but I've heard they did a lovely job with it?)

As far as books go, I'm reading Nicholas and Alexandra and The Romanovs-- I'm planning on adding more to that list, of course, but if anyone can think of a research book I can't possible skip over, please let me know. Amazon is proving a little overwhelming on the topic, so helping to trim the list down would be much appreciated. Specifically, I would REALLY owe anyone who can find me a book on Russian day-to-day fashion at the time. Court dress everywhere, but the average Tuesday outfit seems difficult to nail down!

Thanks so much for reading. It's very important to me that as many details as possible are historically accurate in the book, even though it's a fantasy. I want to make sure I do the Romanov lovers of the world proud, and am so excited to write the story!

-Jackson

[Duchess Hydrangea]

I recently finished a fiction story featuring the Romanovs myself and I have to say this site is the best place to start. "Romanov Autumn" was a big help to me and a very good read though it can be hard to get your hands on. Romanovsisters.org has a lot of collected information on each of the grand duchesses except Anastasia. I did much of my research by googling individuals' names and going to websites about them.

As far as clothing goes, it was very much the same as many other places. I just searched 1900's fashion. One point to remember is that women in those days, like the 1940's, seldom went out without some type of head covering, a hat or a scarf. Hair was pinned up around the age of sixteen and hem lines were dropped with age as well. Women do not remove there hats indoors like men do.

But anyway, here are all the credits I used for my book. The second column are all online books from this site. They are also written by people who lived at that time.

“The Fate of the Romanov” By: Greg King and Penny Wilson

“Romanov Autumn” By: Charlotte Zeepvat

“The last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg” By: Helen Rappapport

  “The Destiny of Beauty” By: Igor Obolensky

“Pavlovsk Park and Garden” By: Anotoli Michailovich Kuchumov

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“Lost Splendor” By: Felix Yussupov

“Thirteen Years at the Russian Court” By Pierre Gillard

“Memoirs of Russia” By: Princess Paley

“Six Years at the Russian Court” By: Margret Eager

“Left Behind” By Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden

“Memoirs of Alexei Volkov”

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 “Alexander Palace Time Machine.org”

 “FrozenTears.org”

“Freewebs.com/Romanovsisters”

http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3596969/post183208165/

 

[Duchess Hydrangea]

Also, you might find more help in the Having Fun section of the forum.

[Sarushka]

My personal favorite documentary is Last of the Czars, by the Discovery Channel. (In my experience, those that focus on the possibility of survivors don't tend to be reliable. I've also yet to see an accurate documentary about Rasputin.)

As for books, I depended very much on those that reproduce the imperial family's actual diaries, letters, etc.:
The Complete Wartime Correspondence
The Fall of the Romanovs
The Last Diary of Tsaritsa Alexandra
The Diary of Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaievna 1913
A Lifelong Passion
Last Act of a Tragedy

If you're able to read Russian (or French), there are many more I can recommend.

The Court of the Last Tsar and Last Years of the Court at Tsarskoe Selo will give you a good look at everyday life in the palace.

The trickiest thing to research is the Romanovs' captivity in Ekaterinburg. This is where Russian and French sources became essential for me. There's so much mythology surrounding this period -- much of it derived from the courtiers' memoirs -- that the first-hand recollections of the guards and the diaries and correspondence of the tsar's family were invaluable in sorting out fact and fiction. Fate of the Romanovs has some faults and has spawned some significant controversy, yet IMO it does an excellent job of breaking down many popular myths, thereby teaching readers to think critically about source material.

[Alixz]

I thought to mention that there are some significant authors who post on this site and a lot of the threads have information they have gleaned from dozens of sources.

You could start by looking over the main forum board and checking into the sub forum that interests you.

There are many threads on clothing and transportation and culture.

If you are looking for information on their last days, there is a sub forum called "The Final Chapter".

I have done a lot of research into clothing of the period and the (necessarily) undergarments that made the styles look the way they did. One can not have the straight back and smooth walk of a lady without wearing either a corset of corselette.

And it is true that ladies never went out without a hat or some kind of head covering. That is why I was at odds with James Cameron's
Titanic. All of the women dressed appropriately except for "Rose" who never wore a hat on deck as she would have if her costumes had been correct. I know she was supposed to be a rebel, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

There are many videos on You Tube. Authentic and newly made. Another good source for videos and very old pictures is Paul Gilbert's site Royal Russia. And then there is the collection of family photos at the Yale Beinecke Library site which are actually the photo collection of Anna Vyrubova, the Empress's friend.

Good luck.

[TimM]

Good luck with your book!

[JacksonPearce]

Thanks so much for your help, everyone! I'm relieved to hear that clothing isn't too dissimilar from what the rest of the developed world was wearing-- I wrote a book set in 1909 a few years ago that (sadly) my publisher didn't love, but I'm pleased to know at least some of the clothing research will have been useful!

[Sunny]

I'm writing a Romanov book too, and i definitely agree with Alixz - this forum is a treasure island. You can't even imagine what you can find there, so my personal advice is to follow Alixz's suggestment and take some time to browse into the forum.
And... good luck!

[Forum Admin]

Thanks so much for your help, everyone! I'm relieved to hear that clothing isn't too dissimilar from what the rest of the developed world was wearing-- I wrote a book set in 1909 a few years ago that (sadly) my publisher didn't love, but I'm pleased to know at least some of the clothing research will have been useful!

Its funny, but I guess some of the "fallout" of the Soviet period is that modern people totally forget that St. Petersburg was every bit an equal "modern European capital city" of Europe as Paris, London, Berlin or Vienna in Imperial times.

[JamesAPrattIII]

In the section of this site "the Final Chapter" there are anumber of posting made by me that deal with some of the details in the IFs final days. Like firearms used ect. There are a few other books you may want to consult one is "the Russian Revolution" by Richard pipes which tells you about the politics ect going on in the post adication period. Then there in "The Murder of grigory Rasputin" margarita nelpa which tells you about the real Rasputin and his murder ect. Also Osprey publishing has a number of books that deal with uniforms of the WW I/RCW period that you might find usefull ect.