Best Selling Books by Vladimir

The novel that reportedly caused a walkout upon publication, this grotesque, absurdist work by Russia''s de Sade follows four individuals set upon a common goal of destruction and violence.

Written in Berlin in 1934, Invitation to a Beheading contains all the surprise, excitement and magical intensity of a work created in two brief weeks of sustained inspiration. It takes us into the fantastic prison-world of Cincinnatus, a man condemned to death and spending his last days in prison not quite knowing when the end will come. Nabokov described the book as ‘a violin in a void. The worldling will deem it a trick. Old men will hurriedly turn from it to regional romances and the lives of public figures ... The evil-minded will perceive in little Emmie a sister of little Lolita ... But I know a few readers who will jump up, ruffling their hair’.

No marriage of a major twentieth-century writer is quite as beguiling as that of Vladimir Nabokov’s to Véra Slonim. She shared his delight at the enchantment of life’s trifles and literature’s treasures, and he rated her as having the best and quickest sense of humor of any woman he had met. From their first encounter in 1923, Vladimir’s letters to Véra chronicle a half-century-long love story, one that is playful, romantic, and memorable. At the same time, the letters reveal much about their author. We see the infectious fascination with which Vladimir observed everything—animals, people, speech, landscapes and cityscapes—and glimpse his ceaseless work on his poems, plays, stories, novels, memoirs, screenplays, and translations. This delightful volume is enhanced by twenty-one photographs, as well as facsimiles of the letters and the puzzles and drawings Vladimir often sent to Véra. With 8 pages of photographs and 47 illustrations in text

This book is concerned with one of the most fundamental questions of mathematics: the relationship between algebraic formulas and geometric images. At one of the first international mathematical congresses (in Paris in 1900), Hilbert stated a special case of this question in the form of his 16th problem (from his list of 23 problems left over from the nineteenth century as a legacy for the twentieth century). In spite of the simplicity and importance of this problem (including its numerous applications), it remains unsolved to this day (although, as you will now see, many remarkable results have been discovered).

Nabokov''s first novel in English, one of his greatest and most overlooked

The new civilization, the first part of eighth book of the Series describes yet another visit by Vladimir Megre to Anastasia and their son, and offers new insights into practical co-operation with Nature, showing in ever greater detail how Anastasia''s lifestyle applies to our lives.

Over 10 million copies sold in 20 languages

Written during World War I, Lenin shows how the rejection of the right of self-determination of nations led to the Kautskyite support of imperialism.

In the wake of the USSR''s collapse, more than 25 million Russians found themselves living outside Russian territory, their status ambiguous. Equally uncertain is the role they will play as a factor in Russian politics, local politics and relations among the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. This volume, prepared under the sponsorship of the Kennan Institute, offers a comprehensive and amply documented examination of these issues.

In the twenty-first century, the global community constantly strives to bring structure and order to the world through strategic means. From the highest levels of governments and militaries to multilateral institutions, NGOs, and corporations, a strategy for the future of a company, region, country, or even the world is tantamount to success. Yet few understand what strategy actually is and how it can be developed, planned, and implemented. Strategy for the Global Market combines a fundamental study of the theory of strategy with its practical applications to provide a new approach to the global emerging market. Due to the technological transformations in communications and transportation, and the birth and development of both the global community and the global marketplace over the past twenty years, the world’s population and corporations are in much closer contact with their counterparts across the globe than ever before. This has led to increasing competition and even rivalries. Understanding the strategic environment, as well as solving problems either through amicable means or conflict, requires the powerful instrument of strategy to remain efficient and to triumph. Features of this book include: Methodology and practical recommendations for all stages of developing and implementing strategy. A comprehensive guide with explanations and descriptions, for the preparation and orderly compilation of all necessary strategy documents. Real-world examples taken from corporate, government, and military strategizing practices in emerging market countries and the global marketplace. This book should be on the desk of every national, regional, and military leader, corporate executive, manager, and student of strategy.

Advocates a broad revision of the academic study of literature, proposing an adaptive, text-specific approach and using Anna Karenina to illustrate this method.

One of The Telegraph''s Best Fiction Books 2011 Moscow, 2028. A scream, a moan, and a death rattle slowly pull Andrei Danilovich Komiaga out of his drunken stupor. But wait--that''s just his ring tone. So begins another day in the life of an oprichnik, one of the czar''s most trusted courtiers--and one of the country''s most feared men. In this new New Russia, where futuristic technology and the draconian codes of Ivan the Terrible are in perfect synergy, Komiaga will attend extravagant parties, partake in brutal executions, and consume an arsenal of drugs. He will rape and pillage, and he will be moved to tears by the sweetly sung songs of his homeland. Vladimir Sorokin has imagined a near future both too disturbing to contemplate and too realistic to dismiss. But like all of his best work, Sorokin''s new novel explodes with invention and dark humor. A startling, relentless portrait of a troubled and troubling empire, Day of the Oprichnik is at once a richly imagined vision of the future and a razor-sharp diagnosis of a country in crisis.

Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov (1853 -1900) was a Russian philosopher and theologian. His work of fiction, A Story of Anti-Christ, is a fascinating dystopian novel that was almost lost to time but now rediscovered.

“Wonderful, compulsively readable, delicious” personal correspondences, spanning decades in the life and literary career of the author of Lolita (The Washington Post Book World). An icon of twentieth-century literature, Vladimir Nabokov was a novelist, poet, and playwright, whose personal life was a fascinating story in itself. This collection of more than four hundred letters chronicles the author’s career, recording his struggles in the publishing world, the battles over Lolita, and his relationship with his wife, among other subjects, and gives a surprising look at the personality behind the creator of such classics as Pale Fire and Pnin. “Dip in anywhere, and delight follows.” —John Updike

The first of a series of textbooks for one-semester courses for students of human movement science, exercise and sport science, biomechanics, and related subjects. Assumes a knowledge of calculus and matrix algebra. Describes how to study human body position and displacement without regard to time, velocity, or acceleration, then adds those factors back in to examine differential kinematics. Includes review questions and a glossary without pronunciation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This collection of essays by leading scholars and diplomats involved with the area examines the key political and economic issues facing Japan, Russia, and their neighbors since the end of the Cold War. The main goal is to analyze recent developments in Moscow-Tokyo bilateral relations and their growing interest in closer economic engagement, stability, and regional cooperation. The volume provides readers with an in-depth analysis of the very problems and opportunities that compelled the national leaders of Japan and Russia to drastically change the format and contents of the dialogue, to address the most critical issues not only of the moment but also for the future. The volume is a crucial resource for scholars, policy makers, and students involved with Asia-Pacific economic cooperation and Japanese and Russian foreign policy.

This book giving an exposition of the foundations of modern measure theory offers three levels of presentation: a standard university graduate course, an advanced study containing some complements to the basic course, and, finally, more specialized topics partly covered by more than 850 exercises with detailed hints and references. Bibliographical comments and an extensive bibliography with 2000 works covering more than a century are provided.

The scientific and therapeutic implications of a new way of understanding a common disease. Depression has often been studied, but this multifaceted disease remains far from understood. Here, leading researchers present a major new view of the disorder that synthesizes multiple lines of scientific evidence from neurobiology, mindfulness, and genetics. A comprehensive mind-body approach to understanding, evaluating, and treating this disease.

Vladimir Grigoryevich Chertkov (3 November [O.S. 22 October] 1854 - November 9, 1936) was the editor of the works of Leo Tolstoy, and one of the most prominent Tolstoyans. Chertkov was born in 1854 in St. Petersburg, Russia into a wealthy and aristocratic family. His mother (to whom he felt especially close), Elizaveta Ivanovna, born Countess Chernysheva-Kruglikova, was known among her circle in St. Petersburg society for her beauty, intellect, authoritativeness and tact. His father, Grigorii Ivanovich, was aide-de-camp under Nikolai I, Adjutant-General under Alexander II and Alexander III, known in military circles for his front-line service and military bearing. The couple enjoyed imperial favour so much that Alexander II and Alexander III visited their home. Describing his parents in one of his diary entries, he wrote: "That''s how I grew up, assured of my own innate advantage over other people, proud of the dignity of my parents, their relatives and friends, entourage of servants, rising from their seats in the ante-room when I passed from my rooms into my parents'' part of the house, swimming in all kinds of luxury and almost not knowing rejection in satisfaction of my desires." In October 1883 his first meeting with Leo Tolstoy took place in Moscow, changing the entire course of his life. It would be said of him that he was more Tolstoy than Tolstoy himself. Fulfilling the ideal of moral self-improvement, Chertkov gave all his heart and soul to educational activity. Following Tolstoy''s initiative, in 1885 Chertkov organized and financed a publishing house called Intermediary which specialized in the release of art and moralizing literature for people. Intermediary succeeded in publishing works aimed at the education of the Russian people, despite the pressure of the Imperial censorship and the hostile attitude of the Orthodox Church. The new publishing house was supported by many of the most outstanding writers of the country: Tolstoy, Chekhov, Korolenko, Garshin, and Leskov all wrote for Intermediary. Books were sold unusually cheaply. Reasonable prices and good publicity, in which Repin, Surikov, Kivshenko and other Russian artists were engaged, helped distribution. (wikipedia.org)

This fascinating documentary history is the first English-language exploration of Joseph Stalin''s relationship with, and manipulation of, the Soviet political police. The story follows the changing functions, organization, and fortunes of the political police and security organs from the early 1920s until Stalin’s death in 1953, and it provides documented detail about how Stalin used these organs to achieve and maintain undisputed power. Although written as a narrative, it includes translations of more than 170 documents from Soviet archives.

Two appendixes from Nabokov''s famous edition of Eugene Onegin: his study of versification in English and Russian poetry, and his "term paper" on Pushkin’s Ethiopian ancestor. Originally published in 1965. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Vladimir Mayakovsky was one of the towering literary figures of pre- and post-revolutionary Russia, speaking as much to the working man (he often employed the rough talk of the streets and revolutionary rhetoric in his poetry) as to other poets (his creative fascination with sound and form, linguistic metamorphosis and variation made him a sort of ''poet''s poet'', the doyen, if not the envy, of his contemporaries, Pasternak among them). His poetry, influenced by Whitman and Verhaeren and strangely akin to modern rock poetry in its erotic thrust, bluesy complaints and cries of pain, not to mention its sardonic humour, is at once aggressive, mocking and tender, and often fantastic or grotesque. Pro Eto - That''s What is a long love poem detailing the pain and suffering inflicted on the poet by his lover and her final rejection of him. But as well as being an agonising parable of separation and betrayal, it is also a political work, highly critical of Lenin''s reforms of Soviet Socialism. The publication of That''s What is something of a landmark for not only is this the first time that this seminal work has appeared in its entirety in translation, but it is illustrated with the 11 inspired photomontages that Alexander Rodchenko designed to interleave and illuminate the text, illustrations which inaugurate a world of new possibilities in combining verbal and visual forms of expression and which are reproduced in colour (as originally conceived) for the first time.

Ivan Chonkin is a simple, bumbling peasant who has been drafted into the Red Army. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, he is sent to an obscure village with one week''s ration of canned meat and orders to guard a downed plane. Apparently forgotten by his unit, Chonkin resumes his life as a peasant and passes the war peacefully tending the village postmistress''s garden. Just after the German invasion, the secret police discover this mysterious soldier lurking behind the front line. Their pursuit of Chonkin and his determined resistance lead to wild skirmishes and slapstick encounters. Vladimir Voinovich''s hilarious satire ridicules everything that was sacred in the Soviet Union, from agricultural reform to the Red Army to Stalin, in a refreshing combination of dissident conscience and universal humor.

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of business law in Russia. It presents an introduction to the Russian legal system in general before going on to provide a thorough analysis of the key aspects such as regulation, taxation, competition, contracts, intellectual property law, among many others. Where appropriate, cases and international comparisons are included to help illustrate the practical workings of this complex system. The book will be an invaluable guide for students, researchers and practitioners who want a clear understanding of legislation relating to business in contemporary Russia.

The famous novel about a European intellectual in America, whose obsessive desire to possess his step-daughter destroys the lives of those around him.

The book Tao Te Ching was written by great Chinese spiritual adept Lao Tse about 2500 years ago. It is one of the most fundamental textbooks on philosophy and methodology of spiritual development.

Each of these thirteen stories is a startling evocation of a single character or happening plucked from the special world of Nabokov''s imagination: Czarist Russia, Central Europe between the two World Wars, the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. However, with the exception of Mademoiselle O and First Love, these stories bear no more than an atmospheric relation to the details of Nabokov''s own life. He writes: "I am no more guilty of imitating real life than real life is responsible for plagiarizing me." Nabokov, like Gogol, is one of those rare modern writers who have been able to create and populate an entire world out of their own genius and to sustain that world throughout a variety of works. These stories reveal that genius at its most intense.--Adapted from book jacket.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Nabokov''s wise, ironic, and elegant masterpiece. • A controversial love story almost shocking in its beauty and tenderness. • This annotated edition assiduously illuminates the extravagant wordplay and the frequent literary allusions, parodies, and cross-references. • Edited with a preface, introduction, and notes by Alfred Appel, Jr. "Fascinatingly detailed." -Edmund Morris, The New York Times Book Review When it was published in 1955, Lolita immediately became a cause célèbre because of the freedom and sophistication with which it handled the unusual erotic predilections of its protagonist. Awe and exhilaration–along with heartbreak and mordant wit–abound in this account of the aging Humbert Humbert''s obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America, but most of all, it is a meditation on love–love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation.

The State and Revolution (1917), by Vladimir Lenin, describes the role of the State in society, the necessity of proletarian revolution, and the theoretic inadequacies of social democracy in achieving revolution to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.The State and Revolution is considered to be Lenin''s most important work on the state and has been called by Lucio Colletti "Lenin''s greatest contribution to political theory". According to the Marxologist David McLellan, "the book had its origin in Lenin''s argument with Bukharin in the summer of 1916 over the existence of the state after a proletarian revolution. Bukharin had emphasised the ''withering'' aspect, whereas Lenin insisted on the necessity of the state machinery to expropriate the expropriators. In fact, it was Lenin who changed his mind, and many of the ideas of State and Revolution, composed in the summer of 1917 - and particularly the anti-Statist theme - were those of Bukharin" .Lenin''s direct and simple definition of the State is that "the State is a special organisation of force: it is an organisation of violence for the suppression of some class." Hence his denigration even of parliamentary democracy, which was influenced by what Lenin saw as the recent increase of bureaucratic and military influences: "To decide once every few years which member of the ruling class is to repress and crush the people through parliament - this is the real essence of bourgeois parliamentarism, not only in parliamentary-constitutional monarchies, but also in the most democratic republics".Citing Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, Lenin investigates theoretical questions about the existence of the State after the proletarian revolution, addressing the arguments of anti-authoritarians, anarchists, social democrats, and reformists, in describing the progressive stages of societal change -- the revolution, establishing "the lower stage of communist society" (the socialist commune), and the "higher stage of communist society" that will yield a stable society where personal freedom might be fully expressed.Lenin especially defends Marx''s theory of Communism, and Marxism generally; to wit, when old revolutionaries die, the bourgeoisie are not content with labelling them "enemies of the state", because that would attract political radicals, so they attack the revolutionaries'' theoretic writings by ascribing to them an (anti-revolutionary) social-democratic mediocrity contrary to "the revolutionary nature of Marx"; such bourgeois intellectuals are the "revisionists" who transform a human being into an abstraction:During the lifetime of great revolutionaries, the oppressing classes constantly hounded them, received their theories with the most savage malice, the most furious hatred, and the most unscrupulous campaigns of lies and slander. After their deaths, attempts are made to convert them into harmless icons, to canonize them, so to say, and to hallow their names, to a certain extent, for the ''consolation'' of the oppressed classes, and with the object of duping the latter, while, at the same time, robbing the revolutionary theory of its substance, blunting its revolutionary edge, and vulgarizing it. Today, the bourgeoisie and the opportunists within the labour movement concur in this doctoring of Marxism. They omit, obscure, or distort the revolutionary side of this theory, its revolutionary soul. They push to the foreground and extol what is, or seems, acceptable to the bourgeoisie. All the social-chauvinists are now ''Marxists'' (don''t laugh!). And more and more frequently, German bourgeois scholars, only yesterday specialists in the annihilation of Marxism, are speaking of the ''national-German'' Marx, who, they claim, educated the labour unions, which are so splendidly organised for the purpose of waging a predatory war!

NABOKOV''S BUTTERFLIES is the definitive book on the writer''s life and art, chronicling his love for butterflies through an extraordinary cornucopia of textual and illustrative material. Chronologically organised, the collection offers a mountain of unique and extrardinary material and comment. Readers whose love of Nabokov is rooted in his vivid imagery and amazing eye for detail will find the notes, letters and extracts in this volume packed full of the same qualities.