Ukraine: A History

by Orest Subtelny

Book Overview

In 1988 Orest Subtelny's Ukraine was published to international acclaim, as the definitive history of what was at the time a state within the USSR. With this new edition of Ukraine: A History, Subtelny revises the story up to the spring of 2000.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802071910
• ISBN13: 9780802071910
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Length: 692 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Previous Praise still Pertinent:Best History, Excellent, the Standard, Highly Recommended, Required

Critically acclaimed when first published in 1988, this fourth (2009) edition of Dr. Orest Subtelny's Ukraine: A History is updated with forty-eight additional pages of insightful analyses and two extra photos covering Ukraine's history from 2000 through 2009. Focus is on the Kuchma and Yushchenko presidencies and the "dramatic political, socio-economic and cultural changes that occurred." Dr. Subtelny's analyses include: "developments in the political sphere, particularly covering the Orange Revolution and the institutional growth of the new state." Discussions are on the following: Domestic Policies (the Kuchma Years, the Orange Revolution, and the Yushchenko Years); International Relations (Relations with the West, Enter NATO, Poland, Russia, Yushchenko's Policies, and the Ukrainian-Russian Gas War); State and Nation Building (State Building, Nation Building, Regionalism); Economy; and, Society (the New Middle Class, the Fading Intelligentsia, Other Urban Dwellers, the Declining Village, Corruption, Demographics, Emigration, and Religion). Looking at the handsome cover, the color orange is outstanding and reminiscent of the Orange Revolution; and, rightly so, since the Orange Revolution is one of the topics covered and discussed in the latest addition to Part Five entitled `The Age of Globalization.' The cover illustration is Cossack Mamai, canvas, oil, early 19th century. Hradizhsk, Kremenchuk District, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine. Courtesy of the National Art Museum of Ukraine. Thirty full-page maps enable the reader to follow events as they are chronicled. Ninety-seven black and white illustrations and photos (usually full page, sometimes as duos or panoramas) enhance the text visually and are throughout the book in groups of eight segments. While this fourth edition is published by the University of Toronto Press in 2009 (Ukraine is independent), the first edition was published in 1988 (Ukraine was in the USSR and known as Soviet Ukraine). In his Preface to the Fourth Edition, Professor Subtelny adds a technical note: "among Ukrainians the preferred spelling of their capital's name is Kyiv. I have adopted this version. However, because this book first appeared in 1988, before the Ukrainian version was adopted, the old version, Kiev, will, unfortunately, have to be used in this publication." A Preface to each of the four editions gives an outline of that edition's analyses. Following the main chapters are extensive Notes on each of the thirty-one chapters (pgs. 677-693); a one-page list of Abbreviations; a one-page Glossary; Illustration Credits listed on one page; Selected Readings in English (pgs. 700-734); and, an extensive Index (pgs. 735-784). Ukraine: A History was published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences through the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Financial ass

For anyone who wants to learn about this fascinating land

First published in 1988, Orest Subtelny's Ukraine: A History has again been newly updated in a third edition. This 736 page volume spans from the earliest times to the modern day, covering everything from ancient Greek colonization to the recent Ukraine diaspora. Orest Subtelny (Professor of History and Political Science at York University) goes into extreme depth and detail with a text that is significantly enhanced with maps, tables, and the occasional black-and-white photograph. Highly recommended for its lucidity, meticulous attention to detail, and scholarly precision, Ukraine: A History is a "must" for anyone who wants to learn about this fascinating land and its people.

Best Source for Ukrainian History

Mr. Subtelny's "Ukraine: A History" rates a notch above Mr. Magosci's. Well-written and very readable. This is the volume one reaches for when facts on the Ukrainian history are required.

Excellent, thorough, and readable history

This is the best one-volume English language history of Ukraine. If you have to choose between Subtelny's work or Magocsi's, choose Subtelny.

Extremely resourceful and detailed.

I am a student of Prof. Subtelny at York University. His book on Ukraine was easy to understand, very informative, and quite revealing. Not only is he a great author, but a fine professor as well.