Peter the Great

His Life and World

By: Robert K. Massie

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.

We see Peter in his 20s traveling "incognito" with his ambassadors to the courts of Europe; as the victorious soldier proclaimed Emperor; as the simple workman at his forge; and as the visionary statesman who single-handedly created a formidable world power. Impetuous and stubborn, bawdy and stern, relentless in his perseverance, he was capable of the greatest generosity and the greatest cruelty.

©1980 Robert K. Massie (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Enthralling.... As fascinating as any novel and more so than most!" ( New York Times Book Review)

Excellant !

The story of this mans life is fantastic. The reader however tends to drop off the volume at the end of a word or sentence. After replaying 3 times you still can not understand all of his words. I recommend this book be revised. On some occasions things are mentioned that a modern day reader doesnt know of that item of war or invention. There is a real opportunity here to modernize some of the descriptions. The story is still amazing in its own right.

That was great.

This was quite an encyclopedia on Czar Peter. It is quite long and detailed, due to that it was hard to finish. However, the info in this book was clear and easy to digest. I wouldn't recommend it if you just want a rough idea on Peter the Great, because this will give you everything.

Remarkable Man....Fantastic Book!

Absolutely loved this book. I read it about 10 years ago and decided to give the audio book a try as well. It is easily one of the best biographies I have ever read. You don't have to be a Russian history enthusiast to enjoy this book. Anybody who enjoys European history, sailing or military history will take something away from this book. 5 big stars on this one!!

Engaging history

I was intimidated by the length but wanted a deeper understanding of this period of history. The material is beautifully written even and engaging. The performance is a little annoying but the reading and execution is at a high level even so. Worth the investment.

Comprehensive, but oddly-accented narrator

Listen to the sample before buying this book. The narrator has an extremely unusual British accent, and this book is LONG, so make sure you can tolerate it. The performance isn't bad, but it's definitely different.

That said, this is a magnificent and comprehensive biography not only of Peter but also of the Europe that surrounded him. The author covers every inch of Peter's reign, from his diplomatic and military triumphs to his personal obsessions and relationships. Included for critical context of Peter's reign are deep summaries of other European rulers of the day including Louis the 14th and William of Orange, and the book essentially contains a sub-biography of Charles the 12th, Peter's archnemesis whose Swedish army nearly destroyed the Russian Empire before it started. If you are looking for not only a biography but a history of Northeastern Europe at the turn of the 18th century, it would be hard to do better.