Fire and Water: A Life of Peter the Great

by Alex de Jonge, Jane Wong, Alex de Jong

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0698110188
• ISBN13: 9780698110182
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Coward McCann
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Must For Researchers

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.

Well written, a good concise bio

In writing a research paper on Peter the Great I found this book very readable and enjoyable. I found myself reading it from cover to cover in a couple of days. It offers a narrative account of Peter's life, and a number of amusing episodes are depicted. It puts Peter's life in a good historical context, and shows the tremendous effect Peter had on Russia. This is a great book for anyone interested in Peter's life or Russian history.