«Brisk and thoughtful, this book could hardly be more timely» Dominic Sandbrook, BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year

From a leading scholar of Eastern Europe and award-winning author of Chernobyl, the essential history of Russian imperialism.

In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and attempted to take over a part of Ukraine. While the world watched in dismay, this violation of national sovereignty was, in fact, the latest expression of a centuries-long endeavor to extend Russian borders and create an all-Russian nation.

In Lost Kingdom, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues that we can understand the merger of imperialism and nationalism in Russia today only if we delve into its history.

This impressively ambitious study covers over two thousand years, from the end of Mongol rule to the present day. Plokhy shows how leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Putin have exploited existing forms of identity, war, and territorial expansion to achieve imperial dominance.

Lost Kingdom chronicles the long and warlike history of the Russian empire and its nation-building quest.

Pages: 432, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm