December 04, 2007

Holiday Gift Ideas


Holiday Gift Ideas

Russian Life Annual Gift Buying Guide

 

It's that time of year again. Time to find something for the Russophile in your life. Or time to find something russophilic for friends yet to be bitten by the bug. So we have pulled together information on some great ideas that are sure to satisfy.

Of course, it goes without saying that you will have gotten Russian Life subscriptions and Wall Calendars for everyone on your list! But that's just a start.

Books always make great gifts. And there never seems to be a shortage of books on Russia. Suzanne Massie's Land of the Firebird is a fabulous introduction to Russian culture and history, and her profile of Pavlovsk palace is an intimate glimpse at an interesting facet of Russian history (207-374-5748).

A new book on the brothers and artists Sergei and Aleksei Tkachev, Masters of Russian Impressionism, has been published by The Museum of Russian Art (952-914-0200). It is a wonderful art book filled with beautiful examples of the Tkachev's art, plus an insightful introduction. The Museum also has another fine book, Soviet Impressionism; be sure to ask about that one as well!

Stanford University Press has a new book out (The Big Show in Bololand) on the little known chapter of Russian history that was the US rescue effort after the Russian Civil War (the period after that covered by our article on page 50).

How about videos? For videos on the Second World War and some little-known chapters in Russian history, you'll want to contact International Historic Films (773-927-2900).

The company Portable Film Festivals (877-477-2835) has rediscovered four interesting Russian films and added subtitling in English. This makes them a great way to study Russian, aside from the fact that these are nice films.

Looking for a broader selection of films in Russian and don't need subtitling? Try St. Petersburg Publishing or RBC. Both also have growing DVD selections. 

Of course, if you have a real Russian film lover on your hands (the technical term is Russofilmophile), you could get them a year's subscription to the Russian Television Network, and they can watch Russian films, news and TV serials-direct from Russia! (800-222-2RTN; a Russian movie channel is available)

What about music? For those with a special interest in Russian choral or church music (including sheet music), check out Musica Russica.

Finally, there are gifts of beauty and color. For lacquer boxes, start with Russian Sunbirds (619-220-7172) and Kremlin Gifts (207-649-7853). Both offer quality crafts and an excellent selection.

At Sunbirds' website you can search by artist, era, subject, price range and more. They specialize in lacquer boxes, but also offer lacquered eggs, matryoshkas, carved gifts, brooches, plates and more.

Kremlin Gifts also headlines with their lacquer boxes, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. They offer fine shawls, Gzhel, matryoshkas, Khokhloma, dolls, icons and more.

Call, email or browse through what both these fine companies have to offer - you are sure to find just the right gift for someone special.

Exclusive Collections offers authentic Russian perfumes and beauty products on its website and in its New York showroom (888-870-5437). They offer everything from colognes for men to body splashes and perfumes for women, to fun shampoos for kids.

Happy Holidays.

-The Editors

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Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь

Steppe / Степь

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

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Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

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