James H. Billington

Survey of Russian culture and philosophy from 1300 to the present day

An Interpretive History of Russian Culture

The Icon and the Axe

Nathan Griffin

Russia is an endlessly fascinating country to me. This book gives amazing context into how the same country that produced such meaningful and passionate art/music/literature could also produce a brutal and dehumanizing totalitarian regime. Also, a pretty spot-on and prophetic prediction about the eventual demise of the USSR (it was written in 1966).

The Icon and the Axe An Interpretive History of Russian Culture