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Rasputin: Rascal Master
A highly illustrated, colorful biography of one of our most celebrated, dark heroes of the past. Not only does the factual, biographical content of the book make fascinating reading but the true story of this extraordinary man's life is more dramatic than fiction could ever be. The background of one of the world's most exciting periods of history is told by teh author with a unique and exciting flavor, making today's political and world scene pale against the powerful Russian contemporary story in teh late 19th and early 20th century.
Rasputin's life story is set against the madness of religious fervor, the complex machinations of the Russian royal family at at ime when everything was at stake - the birth of communism, a political monster that we are today witnessing the fall of -the end of paganism within a society that dominated one fifth of the world's physical geography, and the witnessing of a poeple who were then undergoing a complete transformation from total domination to revolutionary "freedom".
With over 150 color and black and white photographs and illustrations, many of which may never have been seen before by the reader, the full power of this "Rascal Master" is portrayed in the most evocative and dramatic style.
In the seventy years since his death, Raspustin has joined the historical culture of men like Hitler, Cesare Borgia, and Caligula in the pantheon of satanic supermen. The name Rasputin is recognized universally with a frission of excitement and recoil; "The Mad Monk" and "Russia's greatest love machine" who brought down the Romanov dynasty in an orgy of sex and violence and dark satanic practices.
In fact, Rasputin's life did consist of most of the ingredients necessary to make a popular arch-fiend: intimations of supernatural power; erotomania; religious fervor; intimacy and undue influence over the Russian royal family combined with a bizarre and mesmerizing appearance.
In a great country swept by maladies and social discontent, where the people believed in the power of magic, Rasputin gained an image that was to be synonymous in the popular mind with wickedness and wild sexual and sorcerous excess, a myth that was to influence one of the most important periods of the world's history.
Rasputin was a man of exceptional energy and power who retained the simplicity and strength of a Siberian peasant as he moved through every stratum of Russian society, playing four major roles to the full: Man, Mystic, Messiah and Myth.
Rasputin's life story is set against the madness of religious fervor, the complex machinations of the Russian royal family at at ime when everything was at stake - the birth of communism, a political monster that we are today witnessing the fall of -the end of paganism within a society that dominated one fifth of the world's physical geography, and the witnessing of a poeple who were then undergoing a complete transformation from total domination to revolutionary "freedom".
With over 150 color and black and white photographs and illustrations, many of which may never have been seen before by the reader, the full power of this "Rascal Master" is portrayed in the most evocative and dramatic style.
In the seventy years since his death, Raspustin has joined the historical culture of men like Hitler, Cesare Borgia, and Caligula in the pantheon of satanic supermen. The name Rasputin is recognized universally with a frission of excitement and recoil; "The Mad Monk" and "Russia's greatest love machine" who brought down the Romanov dynasty in an orgy of sex and violence and dark satanic practices.
In fact, Rasputin's life did consist of most of the ingredients necessary to make a popular arch-fiend: intimations of supernatural power; erotomania; religious fervor; intimacy and undue influence over the Russian royal family combined with a bizarre and mesmerizing appearance.
In a great country swept by maladies and social discontent, where the people believed in the power of magic, Rasputin gained an image that was to be synonymous in the popular mind with wickedness and wild sexual and sorcerous excess, a myth that was to influence one of the most important periods of the world's history.
Rasputin was a man of exceptional energy and power who retained the simplicity and strength of a Siberian peasant as he moved through every stratum of Russian society, playing four major roles to the full: Man, Mystic, Messiah and Myth.
207 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 11, 2022
dit boek is duidelijk geschreven door iemand die raspoetin gewoon heel graag wilde neuken maar verder ben ik heel blij dat ik eindelijk weet wat die rakker heeft uitgespookt. de man de mythe de legende hè
January 28, 2021
This was an enjoyable introduction to the character that was Rasputin. All of the illustrations were helpful in immersing myself into the time period and I thought Jane Oakley did a fair job of keeping myth seperate from accurate accounts. I only give this a lower rating because I would have liked a bit more with smaller pictures.
May 3, 2025
I picked this book up at the thrift shop, so didn’t spend much on it. However, I really thought this was a pretty good summarized story of Rasputin’s life. I enjoyed the photos and art work. I learned more about him. I thought I knew his story, but I obviously didn’t! Loved the letters and his writings.
October 2, 2009
This was a surprisingly fantastic book.
When I first picked this book up, I was taken aback by the size of it and the amount of pictures it contained. I was under the impression that any book with a type-set so large and so chock full of photos would be childish in its presentation. This book, although not exhaustive, was certainly a very good introduction to the man that was Grigori Rasputin.
The book is divided into three sections, each detailing a different aspect of Rasputin's portrayal (i.e. The Man, The Messiah, and the Myth.) Each section does much to describe how popular opinion contrived this image of him, and furthermore, what the truth behind this image was. The photos that the book contained (some actual photographs, some taken from the plethora of movies about Rasputin that were made after his death) were actually very entertaining, and did a lot to further solidify the true striking nature of the man's appearance.
Finishing this book made me feel that I had a better grasp of who Rasputin was, and how he affected the overall political climate of Russia at the time in which he lived. While it was by no means as in-depth as The Saint Who Sinned (I cannot attest to how exhaustive The Rasputin Files is as I have not yet had the pleasure of reading it) I would certainly highly recommend this to anyone who is searching for a good introduction to the ever fascinating story of Grischa.
When I first picked this book up, I was taken aback by the size of it and the amount of pictures it contained. I was under the impression that any book with a type-set so large and so chock full of photos would be childish in its presentation. This book, although not exhaustive, was certainly a very good introduction to the man that was Grigori Rasputin.
The book is divided into three sections, each detailing a different aspect of Rasputin's portrayal (i.e. The Man, The Messiah, and the Myth.) Each section does much to describe how popular opinion contrived this image of him, and furthermore, what the truth behind this image was. The photos that the book contained (some actual photographs, some taken from the plethora of movies about Rasputin that were made after his death) were actually very entertaining, and did a lot to further solidify the true striking nature of the man's appearance.
Finishing this book made me feel that I had a better grasp of who Rasputin was, and how he affected the overall political climate of Russia at the time in which he lived. While it was by no means as in-depth as The Saint Who Sinned (I cannot attest to how exhaustive The Rasputin Files is as I have not yet had the pleasure of reading it) I would certainly highly recommend this to anyone who is searching for a good introduction to the ever fascinating story of Grischa.
March 25, 2014
This was a very informative little book! As always, with anything historical, I was glad to see all of the pictures in it. I love seeing these historical events as they took place, and this book doesn't disappoint. Oakley did an excellent job of balancing visuals with text and information. Her scholarship was very thorough, and she painted a portrait of Rasputin's life which leaves just enough to the imagination to make you leave her book willing to read another Rasputin biography if you had the chance to read one. Most biographies give me the opposite impression; I usually leave with the thought that this person's life has filled my head all but to the point of running over, and I've had enough for quite a while.
I honestly wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers, simply because the pictures and information are both a little graphic at times (in particular in reference to Rasputin's legendary sexual practices), but overall this is a great book to sink your teeth into if you want to get a better understanding of who this bizarre figure in Russian history was. I'd recommend it to anyone of an appropriate age who wanted to do research, or simply wanted to learn.
I honestly wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers, simply because the pictures and information are both a little graphic at times (in particular in reference to Rasputin's legendary sexual practices), but overall this is a great book to sink your teeth into if you want to get a better understanding of who this bizarre figure in Russian history was. I'd recommend it to anyone of an appropriate age who wanted to do research, or simply wanted to learn.
March 7, 2009
More vivid descriptions in this one, but I was not in mood for it...
June 13, 2025
I checked out this book up to complete a BINGO for my library's summer reading program. It wasn't required that I read it but I started flipping through the pages and got hooked.
The type and style reminded me of my 4th grade social studies book (minus the fact that the content was full of penises, sex, and orgies) and it was really readable with gorgeous pictures throughout.
It turns out I really knew nothing about Rasputin except him name and that he was Russian so this was a good place for me to start. He's really like a stinky sex-crazed drunk Jesus. Healing peasants and drinking vodka and dancing and fornicating.
I recommend going to your library and picking out something out of your comfort zone because I had such a good time with this one
The type and style reminded me of my 4th grade social studies book (minus the fact that the content was full of penises, sex, and orgies) and it was really readable with gorgeous pictures throughout.
It turns out I really knew nothing about Rasputin except him name and that he was Russian so this was a good place for me to start. He's really like a stinky sex-crazed drunk Jesus. Healing peasants and drinking vodka and dancing and fornicating.
I recommend going to your library and picking out something out of your comfort zone because I had such a good time with this one
August 12, 2019
Mildly interesting read - appalling layout. Tiny type for captions, sometimes for main body of text, lots of photos or graphics without any caption at all, so essentially meaningless. Hard to believe this was professionally published -- the layout looks like it was done by an eight-year-old.
November 20, 2021
Poorly written with many typos. There are a lot better biographies on Rasputin out there. Most of the photos were either ones I’ve seen many times before or they had very little to do with the text. A pretty mediocre book overall.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews