[AlbionGirl]

Another great set of books are the books by Harold Lamb. "Iron Men and Saints" and "The Flame of Islam". Older books, but very readable. Not as deep, but they are more of a story than the minute details.

Thank you. I think I might give them first shot.

There was, and is, a big feeling that the West abandoned the East to her fate.

That is exactly the sad and sort of sickening feeling I got when I read the Spectator piece. How could we do it? It's like leaving your brother to an awful fate.

I have mostly Russian neighbors. I live in an area known as little Odessa. The gentleman that occupied the apartment below me, back in 2000 had been a prosecutor in Moscow. He was 75 at the time, so I'm not sure if he was a prosecutor under Stalin or not. But he had stacks of dossiers that he brought with him when the dissolution occurred. A very interesting man. I was sorry to see him move.

As I begin to read some of this stuff, I might ping you for opinion or helping me understand something. Is that ok?

[redgolum]

Feel free! Hopefully your library still has the Harold Lamb books. I picked mine up at a local used book store.