The Great Terror Lib/E: A Reassessment

The definitive work on Stalin's purges, The Great Terror was universally acclaimed when it first appeared in 1968. In recent years, even the former Soviet Union has come to call it the definitive account of the period. While the original volume relied heavily on unofficial sources, later developments within the Soviet Union provided an avalanche of new material, which Conquest has mined, to write this revised and updated edition of his classic work. Under the light of fresh evidence, it is remarkable how many of Conquest's most disturbing conclusions have been verified. Many details have also been added, including hitherto secret information on the three great "Moscow Trials," the purge of writers and other members of the intelligentsia, life in the labor camps, and many other key matters. Both a leading historian and a highly respected poet, Conquest blends profound research with evocative prose to create a compelling and eloquent chronicle of one of the twentieth century's most tragic events.

About the Author :
Robert Conquest, historian, poet, literary critic, and political writer, is the author of many books in these fields, including such classic works on Soviet history as The Great Terror and The Harvest of Sorrow, both published to much acclaim in the Soviet Union itself. He is at present a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institute, Stanford University. Frederick Davidson (1932-2005) was born in London and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He performed in BBC radio plays before coming to America in 1976. The narrator of more than eight hundred audiobooks, he garnered numerous Earphones Awards and a Grammy nomination for his readings. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 1997.

Review :
"[A] broad, well-documented portrayal...This remains an essential source, and any library without it should buy it." -- "Library Journal" "A terrifying record from the best of all commentators on Stalin's USSR." -- "Star-Ledger (Newark)" "Mr. Conquest's stature in the historiography of modern Europe is assured...Stalin was not only the master criminal; he was the master concealer. It took a master detective, and a poet, like Mr. Conquest, to unmask him completely." -- "New York Times Book Review" "The reader comes away feeling that the author knows every event of the Soviet years, that no remotely accessible document has escaped his attention...when questions, ideas, or suppositions arise in you, reader, the author invariably answers these mental queries a few pages later...Having finished this book, no one can ever again say: 'I didn't know.' Now we all know." -- "New York Review of Books"