The Court of the Last Tsar

"The lives of Nicholas & Alexandra have been well documented over the years and it seems impossible to believe that there is anything about them we don't already know, but The Court of the Last Tsar does the impossible. It shows us not only Nicholas & Alexandra, but also the people and the surroundings which made up the daily lives of the last Tsar and Tsarina from 1894 to the eve of World War I - and all this in one book. By focusing on personages, palaces, possessions, pageantry and pleasures he has given us a wealth of information. Everything from their servants to the gold-braided court personnel, their magnificent palaces and yachts to humble picnics on the Finnish coast, from the pageantry of coronations and funerals to the informal life at their Crimean palace of Livadia, is covered in this wonderful book - not forgetting the jewels, the court gowns and the Faberge eggs. Greg King has truly written a tour de force.The book is extremely well researched (even including floor plans of the palaces and a list of the members of Nicholas' court) and has over 100 illustrations. It is, quite simply, marvellous."
—Coryne Hall, author of Little Mother of Russia, Once a Grand Duchess, and Imperial Dancer

"Greg King's The Court of the Last Tsar is a mammoth, monumental achievement. There is no other book that captures the essence, nay, the entire scope, of life at the court of Nicholas II. An inveterate who's who - from relatives and courtiers to residences and jewels - of a Byzantine court life, now lost in the midst of time. King make uses of historical sources, far and wide, and delivers a thoroughly enjoyable, and encyclopaedic masterpiece. This book will be a major source for historians and biographers for years to come."
—Marlene A Eilers, author of Queen Victoria's Descendants and publisher of Royal Book News

"Any book by Greg King is a book to be kept and savored. In The Court of the Last Tsar he has not only given us a fresh, clear-eyed and often startling new look at the life of the last Romanovs, but has also lived up to the promise of his title. He has shown us how the whole enterprise worked, from the highest figure -- Tsar Nicholas II -- to the lowest cook and chambermaid in the imperial domain. King has filled in all the gaps that the rest of us could only guess about. This book is a great work of scholarship -- not only that, a wonderful read."
—Peter Kurth, author of Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra