Laurence Kelly was born in Brussels in 1933 and educated at New College, Oxford where he obtained an Honours Degree in History. His interest in Russia began in 1950 when he first visited Moscow while his father served there as British Ambassador. Books by Laurence Kelly include Lermontov: Tragedy in the Caucasus Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran: Alexander Griboyedov and Imperial Russia's Mission to the Shah of Persia, and volumes on St Petersburg, Istanbul, and Moscow from the Traveller's Reader series.
Nothing less than a masterpiece . . . the perfect companion for the intending traveller, bringing the city's every aspect vividly alive - Sunday Times A magic lantern on place and people: Russians and foreigners; major events in Russian history in eye-witness immediacy; so vivid a book that you need not hasten to travel there yourself; and certainly should not hasten when you arrive - Financial Times Enthralling reading . . . a well-balanced selection that affords marvellous glimpses of its grandeur and its grimness, its magnificence and its horrors - Daily Telegraph Even for those who may never visit Leningrad, this book will be a source of enjoyment and interest - British Book News