Rare books, manuscripts, music, ephemera…
3rd July 2014
1776 is famous as the year that America declared its independence (celebrated tomorrow, of course), but what else happened that year? Here’s something: Catherine the Great’s son got married. This collection came in recently. Printed at present-day Stargard Szczeciński (Poland), it’s an account of the celebrations given in the town to welcome Catherine’s son, Paul, […]
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27th March 2012
Sheikh Mansur was a Chechen resistance fighter who waged a six-year campaign against Catherine the Great’s forces before his capture in 1791, calling upon fellow Muslims to join him in jihad. ‘He was the first to preach and lead … the Holy War against the infidel Russians in the Caucasus … Dropped, as it were, from the […]
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