Russians in Alaska: 1732-1867

by Lydia Black

This definitive work, the crown jewel in the distinguished career of Russian America scholar Lydia T. Black, presents a comprehensive overview of the Russian presence in Alaska. Drawing on extensive archival research and employing documents only recently made available to scholars, Black shows how Russian expansion was the culmination of centuries of social and economic change.
Black’s work challenges the standard perspective on the Russian period in Alaska as a time of unbridled exploitation of Native inhabitants and natural resources. Without glossing over the harsher aspects of the period, Black acknowledges the complexity of relations between Russians and Native peoples.
She chronicles the lives of ordinary men and women—the merchants and naval officers, laborers and clergy—who established Russian outposts in Alaska. These early colonists carried with them the Orthodox faith and the Russian language; their legacy endures in architecture and place names from Baranof Island to the Pribilofs.
This deluxe volume features fold-out maps and color illustrations of rare paintings and sketches from Russian, American, Japanese, and European sources—many have never before been published. An invaluable source for historians and anthropologists, this accessible volume brings to life a dynamic period in Russian and Alaskan history. A tribute to Black’s life as a scholar and educator, Russians in Alaska will become a classic in the field.

Genres: History, Russia

344 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no better book on the Russian presence in Alaska, and certainly no book which has addressed the subject with so intense a focus on archival materials.

[Effie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black's bias is evident in the chapter on Russian Orthodoxy and the last sentence of the book ("The Light of the Spirit remains.") but it is an excellent book and an invaluable resource in the field of Russian America.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This historical monograph was very long and wordy. Black takes an interesting point in history and emphasizes on uninteresting details while ignoring interesting stories that could potentially interest readers. Black does do a good job discussing the various factors that effected Russian occupation of Alaska but, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. There are plenty of more interesting books on the same subjects out there.