Lenin: A Biography

Political loyalties tend to mask the truth in most biographies of Lenin. Of those that maintain objective standards, David Shub's treatment is likely to be the choice of the general reader, because of its neat union of scholarship and readability. Born and educated in Russia, David Shub joined the Socialist Democratic Party as a very young man and frequently met Lenin and other leaders abroad. After taking part in the Russian Revolution of 1905 he was exiled to Siberia, but escaped to the USA. Thereafter he still kept up his contact with the revolutionary leaders, with many of whom he was personally acquainted. Few writers have been so well placed to provide a true picture of one of the most influential figures of this century.