Stalin's Library: A Dictator and his Books

"New books on Russian history include two Stalin-related ones, the Georgian dictator remaining ever popular as a subject of interest. Not surprisingly given my job, I was particularly intrigued by the one on his voracious reading habits: Stalin’s Library: A Dictator and His Books. It’s by British historian Geoffrey Roberts, author of several books on the Russian leader (plus one on Zhukov). The other book is only tangentially related to Stalin, and is more of an insight into the agony of intellectual life under his rule: Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin’s Russia by Elizabeth Wilson . You’ll have come across Maria Yudina (or a fictionalized version of her) if you’ve watched the movie Death of Stalin."