MIRROR TO RUSSIA, Kelly, 1952 Travel in Post-War Soviet Union, USSR, Georgia

Description: MIRROR TO RUSSIA MARIE NOELE KELLY LONDON: COUNTRY LIFE 1952 1st edition. 22 x 14 cm. 248 pp + colour frontispiece & b/w photo plates. HB/DJ Among all the books that have been written on Russia and the Russians during the last decade, Lady Kelly's is uniquely a travel book. No ordinary visitor from the West may travel freely in Russia. Even diplomats are normally confined to four roads out of Moscow, and on these their car journeys were limited in Lady Kelly's time to 31 miles—and since she left Moscow even that distance has been further reduced to about 25 miles. Between 1949 and 1951 Lady Kelly [wife of the British Ambassador] was able to persuade the authorities to let her see Russia as no visitor from the West has seen it since before the Second World War. She has travelled by car, by rail, by air and by river-steamer to the towns and villages of Old Russia, and to Georgia. She has seen the splendid memorials of medieval Russia, and is able to tell which of them have survived the destruction of the German invasion. She has visited the war-ruined palaces of Peterhof, Pavlovsk and Tsarskoe Selo, and can speak of their restoration. She has been able to make the journey down the Volga to Stalingrad and Astrakhan, and to visit Tiftis. She has seen 'hidden' Georgia, and Stalin's birthplace at Gori, a small peasant's home that is now an elaborate 'shrine'. Unable freely to contact the Russians, Lady Kelly was determined to understand them through their works. Her descriptions of the surviving monasteries and churches of Old Russia are those of a well-informed and enthusiastic observer with a gift for the unusual phrase, for the paragraph which brings a precious ikon, an ancient kremlin, a crumbling bell-tower vividly to life. But the reader will also find in these pages a great variety of contemporary scenes from the Russia that few know, and very very few will ever have the opportunity of seeing. MIRROR TO RUSSIA MARIE NOELE KELLY LONDON: COUNTRY LIFE 1952 First edition. Among all the books that have been written on Russia and the Russians during the last decade, Lady Kelly's is uniquely a travel book. No ordinary visitor from the West may travel freely in Russia. Even diplomats are normally confined to four roads out of Moscow, and on these their car journeys were limited in Lady Kelly's time to 31 miles—and since she left Moscow even that distance has been further reduced to about 25 miles. Between 1949 and 1951 Lady Kelly [wife of the British Ambassador] was able to persuade the authorities to let her see Russia as no visitor from the West has seen it since before the Second World War. She has travelled by car, by rail, by air and by river-steamer to the towns and villages of Old Russia, and to Georgia. She has seen the splendid memorials of medieval Russia, and is able to tell which of them have survived the destruction of the German invasion. She has visited the war-ruined palaces of Peterhof, Pavlovsk and Tsarskoe Selo, and can speak of their restoration. She has been able to make the journey down the Volga to Stalingrad and Astrakhan, and to visit Tiftis. She has seen 'hidden' Georgia, and Stalin's birthplace at Gori, a small peasant's home that is now an elaborate 'shrine'. Unable freely to contact the Russians, Lady Kelly was determined to understand them through their works. Her descriptions of the surviving monasteries and churches of Old Russia are those of a well-informed and enthusiastic observer with a gift for the unusual phrase, for the paragraph which brings a precious ikon, an ancient kremlin, a crumbling bell-tower vividly to life. But the reader will also find in these pages a great variety of contemporary scenes from the Russia that few know, and very very few will ever have the opportunity of seeing. 22 x 14 cm. 248 pp + colour frontispiece & b/w photo plates. Very good condition. Dust jacket worn and chipped. Previous owner's details on the front free endpaper. Top edge dust stained but otherwise clean and tidy. One of many books from the collection of Patricia, Countess Jellicoe that I will be listing over the coming weeks. Patsy Jellicoe, as she was know (1917-2012), lecturer on Islamic art and society hostess, was a remarkable woman in the tradition of Gertrude Bell and Fraya Stark. Born in Shanghai (where she danced with Margot Fonteyn), educated by French nuns and then at the Slade School of Art. Returning to China in 1937 shortly before the Japanese invaded, she was interned in a prison camp until 1942. Upon release she got a job in the British Embassy in Beirut where she met and married the 2nd Earl Jellicoe, one of the SAS originals and first commander of the SBS. Extremely well connected to royalty, politicians, artists and academics, she developed an interest the history and culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, travelling extensively in the region and going on several archaeological digs. In 1971 she started giving lectures at the Royal Asiatic Society and for the next 30 years she gave lectures around the world; Gore Vidal described the countess as “the most erudite woman I have ever known”. Pictures sell! Auctiva offers Free Image Hosting and Editing. The complete eBay Selling Solution.

Price: 7.49 GBP

Location: Carlisle

End Time: 2025-02-10T12:01:41.000Z

Shipping Cost: 14.55 GBP