Ukraine An illustrated history

This survey of Ukrainian history fills a particular gap, as most available texts regard this territory as supplemental to Russia or eastern Europe. Magocsi (Toronto) admirably navigates his way through a very complex history in describing important periods, events, and personages. Although his narrative description is thorough, this volume is in sore need of an introduction to theories of nationalism. In its absence, the convergence of numerous territorial, political, confessional, and identity groupings into "Ukraine" appears as a fated rather than historically contingent process. Magocsi announces that there are alternative interpretations of various events and periods, but he still minimizes or ignores controversies, such as the degree of active Ukrainian participation in Nazi atrocities, that may offend Ukrainophile readers. Nonspecialists (the apparent target audience) will be challenged by the strict adherence to scholarly transliteration standards, e.g., Khmel'nyts'kyi rather than Khmelnytsky. At a minimum, the publisher should have included an introductory explanation. For an "illustrated history," the quality of the illustrations is generally poor, and the captions often merge with the main text in a confusing manner. More helpful are the numerous historical maps. Marginally recommended. Summing Up: Optional. General and undergraduate collections. P. E. Heineman University of Maryland University College