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Stalin's Library

A Dictator and His Books

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Stalin's Library

By: Geoffrey Roberts
Narrated by: Stewart Crank
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About this listen

A compelling intellectual biography of Stalin told through his personal library.

In this engaging life of the 20th century's most self-consciously learned dictator, Geoffrey Roberts explores the books Stalin read, how he read them, and what they taught him. Stalin firmly believed in the transformative potential of words and his voracious appetite for reading guided him throughout his years. A biography as well as an intellectual portrait, this book explores all aspects of Stalin's tumultuous life and politics.

Stalin, an avid reader from an early age, amassed a surprisingly diverse personal collection of thousands of books, many of which he marked and annotated revealing his intimate thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Based on his wide-ranging research in Russian archives, Roberts tells the story of the creation, fragmentation, and resurrection of Stalin's personal library. As a true believer in communist ideology, Stalin was a fanatical idealist who hated his enemies-the bourgeoisie, kulaks, capitalists, imperialists, reactionaries, counter-revolutionaries, traitors-but detested their ideas even more.

©2022 Geoffrey Roberts (P)2022 Tantor Politicians Presidents & Heads of State Russia Stalin

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Profile Image for Mr. Ian Hall

Bookworm & bloodthirsty monster.

A great bibliophile but an awful man. Worth a listen if you are a fellow bibliophile.

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