The Maisky Diaries

`Recently discovered diaries by the Soviet ambassador to the UK from 1932 give fascinating insights into Britain before and during the war.' - The Sunday Times * The Sunday Times * These diaries throw new light from a fresh angle on the lead-up to 1939 and the subsequent course of the war . . . this is an exceptionally readable, as well as important, story. -John Joliffe, Spectator -- John Joliffe * The Spectator * It is a book that makes us understand the period of appeasement afresh, tells the human story of an un-Bolshevik character teetering on the edge of Stalinist disaster, and reminds us just how important great diplomats have been in dangerous times. -Andrew Marr, New Statesman -- Andrew Marr * New Statesman * A fascinating, rich volume, brimming over with insights into two radically different worlds. It only whets the reader's appetite for the full three-volume edition . . . which will surely stand as one of the great achievements of twenty-first century historical scholarship. -Niall Ferguson Maisky's diary, impeccably edited by Gabriel Gorodetsky, is not only a work of major historical importance. It also provides an utterly fascinating view of Anglo-Soviet relations and British politics during the critical period of 1932 to 1943. -Antony Beevor Astonishing! Really remarkable. . . . Perhaps the greatest political diary of the twentieth century. -Paul Kennedy