Product Description
The Caucasus mountains rise at the intersection of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. A land of astonishing natural beauty and a dizzying array of ancient cultures, the Caucasus for most of the twentieth century lay inside the Soviet Union, before movements of national liberation created newly independent countries and sparked the devastating war in Chechnya. Combining riveting storytelling with insightful analysis, The Ghost of Freedom is the first general history of the modern Caucasus, stretching from the beginning of Russian imperial expansion up to the rise of new countries after the Soviet Union's collapse. In evocative and accessible prose, Charles King reveals how tsars, highlanders, revolutionaries, and adventurers have contributed to the fascinating history of this borderland, providing an indispensable guide to the complicated histories, politics, and cultures of this intriguing frontier. Based on new research in multiple languages, the book shows how the struggle for freedom in the mountains, hills, and plains of the Caucasus has been a perennial theme over the last two hundred years--a struggle which has led to liberation as well as to new forms of captivity. The book sheds valuable light on the origins of modern disputes, including the ongoing war in Chechnya, conflicts in Georgia and Azerbaijan, and debates over oil from the Caspian Sea and its impact on world markets. Ranging from the salons of Russian writers to the circus sideshows of America, from the offices of European diplomats to the villages of Muslim mountaineers, The Ghost of Freedom paints a rich portrait of one of the world's most turbulent and least understood regions.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 6 reviews)

Sometimes a Tough Read, But Always Informative... by I. Holder (Sydney, Australia)

4 Stars
September 20, 2009
Not an easy read at times, at least with my simple mind, but an exceptionally fascinating, interesting and well-written one. Charles King takes a look at the recent history of the Caucasus, focusing on the conquest of the area by the Russians, the Soviet era and the post-Soviet era. He truly does condense a great deal of information into this book, and I admit there were parts I skimmed quickly as it was all so overwhelming: people and places that I could not recall, remember or simply take in. But despite this, which may be a fault of mine, what I did learn and what I did read was intriguing, educational and a joy to read. I'll definitely be trying to find a book on the earlier history of the Caucasus as it is such a fascinating region.

Comprehensive Treatment of the Caucasus Region since the Middle 18th Century by David M. Dougherty (Arkansas)

4 Stars
October 10, 2008
Frankly, I found this book well written but on such a complex subject that it was difficult to keep in mind all the ethnic players, their situations, politics, languages and characteristics from page to page. It may be an easy read, but difficult to comprehend. I noticed that none of the other reviewers attampted to offer a brief synopsis of the chapters or contents. I won't either, since I have no idea how to briefly state what the author does in many pages and where everything seems to be in flux. At one time the Muslim Circassians take one side and the Christian Armenians another, then twenty years later everything is reversed. I found the hodge-podge of ethnic enclaves and large number of languages, some very different from the others, various political orientations, attitudes toward slavery (that continued into the 20th century), unique off-shoots of Islam and Christianity that often seem pagan or animistic, fascinating but difficult to grasp in a single book (or in a single course of study.) The Caucasus makes the Balkans seem trivial in comparison. Nonetheless, this work is extremely useful in bringing the reader up to date on the region and giving him an appreciation of its history and complexity. One can readily see that to choose sides is to make enemies, and with states and borders having been very recent inventions, one is cautioned to tread lightly here with one's western ideas and concepts. I was sorry to see that the book does not go back to ancient times as the history of the Armenians and Georgia are particularly fascinating. The Armenians were a substantial power from 260BCE to 72 CE, then again from 1048 to 1375 CE. Tigranes II and later Levon I were powerful rulers and the Armenians have survived until today with their great heritage and history providing a continual source of pride. Georgia produced one of the great warrior queens of history, Queen Tamara, from 1184 to 1212. During that time she brought Georgia to its golden age, and folklore abounds still today in the Caucasus with tales of her prowess. More currently, the genocide inflicted on the Armenians during World War I by the Turks lays heavy on the land and prevents Turko-Armenian reconcillation. The Chechens have defied Moscow since the advent of the Soviet Union, and their resistance today is a factor of everyday life. The Ossetians are in the middle, and look to Russia as their protector. The Azerbaijans tend to look to Iran for guidance. This is not a peaceful or easily governed region. This work is particularly important in light of recent developments where Russia invaded Georgia supposedly to aid the Ossetians. This book is highly recommended to Western readers who desire a relatively quick introduction to the Caucasus in order to understand the issues currently in the news. The reader will also come away with the realization that issues in the Caucasus are not likely to be simple or what they are said to be in soundbites. The author is to be commended for bringing this relatively obscure corner of the world into the light where the reader can grasp the essentials of its history and characteristics.

Accessible and Scholarly Work on the Caucasus by Jordan M. Becker (Vicenza, Italy)

5 Stars
September 20, 2008
The Ghost of Freedom provides the same accessibility combined with academic rigor that King delivered with his History of the Black Sea. Useful for the student of the region as well as an uninitiated reader seeking an intrduction, the Ghost of Freedom is both readable and scholarly. For the reader who is looking to "catch up" on the historical events that shaped the volatile and strategically significant region that is the Caucasus today, this is the ideal book. Standing at a geostrategic and economic crossroads, the Caucasus is a region that anyone who is academically or professionally concerned with geostrategy in Europe, Asia, or the Middle East simply cannot ignore, and King's work represents a brilliant and relevant survey.

A very pleasant reading by Jean Michael Guhl (McLean, VA, USA)

4 Stars
September 13, 2008
Reading history books may be tiresome sometimes. This book is not. A well researched and very pleasant reading, it depicts in great details the history of a very important region of the world. At a time where names like Ossetia and Abkhazia are becoming common in the despatches, this is a worthwhile book to have and discover thoroughly. An opportunity to revisit John Steinbeck's Georgia and neighbouring countries of the Caucasus and their complex and shifting history.

The Caucasus Explained by Outside Food (Lafayette Hill, PA)

4 Stars
May 20, 2008
The author describes the past three centuries of the Caucasus, making sense of the bewildering patchwork of regions, ethnic areas, languages, and countries. The region was known in the 19th century as a mysterious and somewht lawless area attracting adventurers and vacationers, then became famous for beautiful women, then genocide of Armenians, and now the Russian-Chechnian conflict. The author has spent much time in the area and is on firm footing when describing recent events. There is not much about pre-18th century history, however, which is a shame because some of it is fascinating.

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