Nicholas and Alexandra: The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia

407 pp. From the State Hermitage Museum and the State Archive of the Russian Federation. Includes 639 illustrations in full colour. "This magnificent volume draws on a wealth of previously unpublished material to tell the tragic story of the last of the Romanovs as it has never been told before. With more than 630 irreplaceable works of art, costumes, photographs, and private and state documents, and drawing from Nicholas and Alexandra's own personal letters and diaries, it reveals their luxurious world and loving family life--and the horrors of their final years--in moving and compelling detail. ...accompanies the largest collection of imperial family treasures ever to leave Russia, in a major exhibition presented by Broughton International. The book opens with a dazzling display from the Winter Palace, now part of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Included is the uniform Nicholas wore at his wedding, the gilded carriage in which Alexandra rode to the coronation, richly embroidered ball gowns worn by Alexandra and her daughters, regimental uniforms and toys belonging to Tsarevich Alexei, paintings, icons, and gifts from Tsar Nicholas to Empress Alenxdra, including Imperial Easter Eggs from the renowned Faberge workshops. Then, from the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the private world of Nicholas and Alexandra is unveiled: love notes from "Nicky" to "Alix," letters from royal relatives such as Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm, drawings by the grand duchesses, Rasputin's notes to the empress, and the family's own personal photographs of one another, many previously unpublished. Reproductions of original documents, such as Nicholas's 1917 abdication letter, Lenin's denial of the tsar's death, and authenticated evidence relating to the family's murder and the subsequent investigation, detail the traumatic events of the Romanovs' final months."