Guides: Russian and East European Studies: Finding Books

Subject terms for use in catalogs and databases

The possibilities are vast and this is a small sampling:

Authors, Russian
Authors, Soviet
Authors, Soveit--20th century
Authors, Russian __th Century--
- Criticism
- poetry
- drama
- biography
- philosophy
- correspondence
- journeys
- etc
Russia--History (beginning with 1237-
Soviet Union--History [various dates]
- chronology
- fiction
- historiography
- bibliography
- sources [sources designates primary material is included]
- posters
- periodicals
- pictorial works
Browse all subject headings beginning with Soviet Union
Russian Revolution and Civil War
Socialist realism
Art and state
Communism and art
Politics and culture
Russian Poetry
Russian Fiction
Russian Short Story
Russian Literature
- add dates "to 1700, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century
- History and criticism
- Russian Federation
- Themes and motives
- Textbooks, readers
- Women authors
- [geographical location]
- Translations
Paleography, Russian
Philosophy, Russian
Philosophy--Soviet Union

Post-Soviet Russia

Bourdieu's Secret Admirer in the Caucasus by Georgi M. Derluguian
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK511.C37 D47 2005
ISBN: 0226142825
Publication Date: 2005
Provides a perspective of the developmental dynamics involved in the collapse of Soviet socialism. Fusing a narrative of human agency to his critical discussion of structural forces, Georgi M. Derluguian reconstructs from firsthand accounts the life story of Musa Shanib--who from a small town in the Caucasus grew to be a prominent leader in the Chechen revolution.
Change in Putin's Russia by Simon Pirani
ISBN: 1849643695
Publication Date: 2010
Explains Russia's political economy, and provides a unique account of the social movements fighting for change.
Godfather of the Kremlin by Paul Klebnikov
Call Number: Van Pelt Library HC340.12 .K555 2000
ISBN: 0151006210
Publication Date: 2000
American Journalist Paul Klebnikov examines the influence of Russian Business oligarch Boris Berezovsky on post-Soviet Russian governance.
Kremlin Rising by Peter Baker; Susan Glasser
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK510.763 .B35 2005
ISBN: 0743264312
Publication Date: 2005
American Journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser examine the concerted effort to reverse the Russian democratic gains post 1991 and the rise of Vladimir Putin.
The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK510.766.P87 G47 2012
ISBN: 9781594488429
Publication Date: 2012
Provides an account of Vladimir Putin's rise to power in post-Soviet Russia.
Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain by Stephen K. Wegren (Editor)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK510.763 .P88 2019
ISBN: 9781538114254
Publication Date: 2018-11-16
Provides a comprehensive and current analysis of contemporary Russia. Leading scholars explore the daunting domestic and international problems Russia confronts, considering economic, political, foreign policy, and social issues.
Russia's Oil and Natural Gas by Michael Ellman (Editor)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library HD9575.R82 I58 2006
ISBN: 1843312174
Publication Date: 2006
This book is an edited collection, bringing together well-known specialists from Russia, Japan, Western Europe and the USA. Provides information about the Russian hydrocarbons sector, its size, economic significance, and taxation.
Taking Stock of Shock: Social Consequences of the 1989 Revolutions by Kristen Ghodsee; Mitchell Orenstein
ISBN: 0197549268
Publication Date: 2021
Penn authors Ghodsee and Orenstein present an interdisciplinary analysis of the successes and failures of post-Soviet Eastern Europe

WorldCat and Repositories

To find books and information on library and archival holdings around the world, try:

Worldcat
highlights Penn holdings, use for finding books just about anywhere in the world, including archives, dissertations, recordings, manuscripts, microfilm, and more . Also see worldcat.org
Archivegrid
Historical documents, personal papers, and family histories held in archives around the world.
CLIR's Hidden Collections Registry
Europeana
Europeana Collections provides access to Provides access to over 50 million digitised items contributed from across Europe. Thematic collections include fashion, music, photography, World War I, galleries, and blogs
Center for Research Libraries (CRL)
vast holdings in newspapers (search by country), non U.S. dissertations (search by country and institution), archival materials. Generous lending and digitization policies,
Hathitrust
Digitized holdings from many libraries. To some extent mirrors Google Books but libraries continue to contributed following the Google book digitization project. Log-in with your Pennkey and password, search for full view and download pages and entire books. Search the entire catalog to identify resources that are still in copyright but may be available from partner libraries. Holdings tend to be older, but are vast and varied. "Full view" Hathitrust items should also appear in Franklin catalog with links directly to the resource.

Finding Books and Articles Beyond Penn

The Penn Libraries provide multiple ways to connect with books and journal articles that aren't immediately available to you in print or electronically, including:

BorrowDirect -- books from our Ivy league partners and a few others including Stanford and University of Chicago

EZ Borrow -- books from our Pennsylvania Partners and a few others including New York University

Scan and Deliver / Interlibrary loan -- for journal articles, chapters in books, and materials not available through our partnerships.

Read about it here

Guides and Companions

These compendiums of knowledge on specific areas and topics are excellent ways to gain familiarity on a topic. Volumes are edited by specialists, and each chapter will lead you to additional secondary readings and primary sources.