"In a major speech last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to Stolypin in laudatory terms, . . . presumably a signal of Mr. Putin's own intended balancing act between reformer and authoritarian tough-guy. With Mr. Ascher's highly readable biography, we're all better placed to understand the legacy that Mr. Putin inherits. . . . A book well worth waiting for. . . . P. A. Stolypin is carefully researched, well argued, and highly readable."—Wall Street Journal

“The first major biography of Petr Arkadevich Stolypin, prime minister and minister of internal affairs of the Russian Empire from 1906 unitl his assassination in 1911. This is a major contribution to our understanding of these important years following the 1905 revolution and will be welcomed by all students of the period.”—History

“This book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Stolypin . . . more than any previous work, it examines thoroughly and in detail the major episodes of Stolypin’s political career. Ascher’s treatment of these controversial issues is invariably careful, judicious, and illuminating. . . . Ascher has plumbed archives not just in Russia, but in Helsinkin, Bonn, and Vienna and in a wealth of documentation goes far beyond previous studies. . . . There will always be a place for thoroughly researched, carefully thought-through, and well written narrative history. Abraham Ascher’s Stolypin is a fine example of this genre and is required reading for any serious study of Russian history.”—Theodore R. Weeks, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale