Red Star Over Russia: A Visual History of the Soviet Union from the Revolution to the Death of Stalin

Red Star Over Russia is a breathtaking visual history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to the death of Stalin, using a vast array of material including posters, photographs, paintings, magazine covers, advertisements, and ephemera to illustrate the dramatic birth and eventual decline of the Soviet Union. The book's urgent, cinema verite style plunges the reader into the shattering events that brought hope, chaos, heroism, and horror to the citizens of the world's first workers' state.
The Russian Revolution produced some of the most important advances in the fields of art, photography, and graphic design in the 20th century. More than 550 of these widely influential materials are reproduced here to the highest quality, accompanied by author David King's accessible text. Zooming in from the epic to the particular, King rescues from obscurity many lost heroes and villains through the work of the most brilliant Soviet artists, many of them anonymous or long forgotten.

Customer Reviews:

Delivers the Goods

By Cary B. Barad - November 9, 2009

A compehensive compilation of colorful propaganda posters, classic photographs and rare snapshots beginning with the Russian Revolution and moving forward. The only downside is the size and placement of the descriptive notes, which are printed in very small type and seem to be laid out in a crammed and somewhat jumbled order. As a result, they are quite tedious and difficult for the eye to follow.

An Intoxicating Look at Soviet Art History

By Marco Antonio Abarca - January 14, 2010

There are very few countries that have faced the severe traumas the Soviet Union experienced from 1917-1953. Although it may have been a hellish place to live, the Soviet Union nevertheless experienced a period of intense artisitc achievement. The art of this time was original, energetic and fueled by a manic need to educate.

David King is a well known historian of the Soviet Union with a special interest in the use of photography in Soviet propaganda. King is also a serious collector of early Soviet art. His collection encompasses posters, photographs and other paper ephemera. "Red Star Over Russia" is a catalogue of his remarkable collection. Along with his many startling images, King also provides a well written descriptions which place the images in their proper context.

"Red Star Over Russia" is a beautiful book with powerful images printed on high quality paper. This is a highly collectable book that will hold its value over time. In the coming... read more

5 Red Stars

By Videokondriac - November 1, 2009

An amazing pictorial companion to all of the verbal histories you've ever read about Russia between the end of the Czars and the end of Stalin. Endless pain and suffering throughout, but underneath it all, the incredible creative energy of the artists and designers and indomitable spirit of the ordinary people.