Review by Choice Review
That the vast territory of Central Asia is often ignored, forgotten, or misunderstood is indicated by the relentless expansion of Imperial Russia and the cycles of letters exchanged between London and St. Petersburg through 1885. The Red Army's invasion of the newly independent republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia (both in 1920) and Georgia (1921) reasserted Russia's imperialism after the Russian Revolution. Gleason's book is thus a welcome attempt to shed light on Central Asia. But understanding Central Asia without its history is impossible, and the detailed information presented here without historical context appears fragmented and incoherent. The names, perhaps influenced by the Russian spelling of non-Russian words, create complications (King "Fakhda" instead of Saudi King Fahd). A brief introductory history of Central Asia from the 15th century to the fall of the Soviet Union, and some deletion of unnecessary details would have made the book exceptionally useful. Works by Muriel Atkin, David M. Lang, Ivar Spector, Firuz Kazemzadeh, David B. Nissman, and Jaroslaw Palenski are excellent sources of historical information. For undergraduate and graduate students with some historical background. F. L. Mokhtari; Norwich University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
