The First Cold War

'Emerson covers her ground with exemplary thoroughness, mining a variety of British and Russian archival materials... . She is excellent on how Russian spies broke British diplomatic codes... [and] has a sharp eye for the unusual or entertaining detail.'

-- Financial Times

'[An] excellent book... Emerson tells the story of [the] early Russo-British tensions in exquisite detail and with admirable sensitivity, insight and fairness. This is a large book, filled with an enormous cast of characters and all manner of subterfuge, spying, diplomatic brinkmanship and war. Emerson makes for a first-rate guide through this confusing terrain.'

-- TLS

'A thorough and often diverting diplomatic history of Anglo-Russian relations from the 16th to the early 20th century.'

-- The Spectator

'[An] original and always readable study of British and Russian relations in the 19th century.'

-- Literary Review

'Both comprehensively referenced and highly readable.'

-- East-West Review

'Barbara Emerson is a distinguished historian. Her richly researched account exposes in great detail the never-ending tensions between the two powers. This is essential reading.'

-- Hella Pick, former UN correspondent for The Guardian, and author of Invisible Walls: A Journalist in Search of Her Life

'A masterful account of the suspicion, distrust and rivalries between Britain and Russia, from Peter the Great to the Anglo-Russian Convention. Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this is history at its best.'

-- Coryne Hall, author of Queen Victoria and the Romanovs: Sixty Years of Mutual Distrust

'Deftly navigates the depths and shallows of Anglo-Russian relations and delivers both a lucid exposition of events and a vivid impression of the remarkable men and women who participated.'

-- Jenny Antill, author of Small Acts of Kindness: A Tale of the First Russian Revolution

'This is more than just a diplomatic history. Use of Russian and English archives, memoirs, travellers' accounts and private correspondence shows the influence of royalty, diplomats and society on policies, and makes for a fascinating read.'

-- Beryl Williams, Emeritus Reader in History, University of Sussex

'A romp through the long period from 16th-century British traders' and diplomats' first "discovery" of Muscovy as a state meriting their attention to the 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention.'

-- Andrew Sheppard, editor of East-West Review