Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

The omnipresent and multifarious placards that emerged during the time of the Soviet civil war are illustrated here and placed in a historical framework. ``White writes a fast-moving history of this unique confluence of art and `agitational literature,' '' reported PW. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

White provides a well-written and lavishly illustrated account of the Bolshevik poster from 1918 through 1920. The author convincingly examines the aesthetic merits of these powerful pieces of propaganda in terms of their sociopolitical context. His discussion is prefaced by a consideration of the origins of the medium in the medieval tradition of Russian icons as well as 19th-century illustrated broadsides, and is concluded by a description of poster art's subsequent decline in the Soviet Union. This work responds to the growing interest in the potent visual constructions of popular culture, whether they are selling perfume (e.g., Judith Williamson, Consuming Passions: Politics and Images of Popular Culture, 1986) or revolution (e.g., Lawrence Weschler, The Passion of Poland, 1984). Its full scholarly apparatus, in addition to its dense, well-produced illustrations (including nearly 100 examples in color), make The Bolshevik Poster an important contribution to our understanding of the power of the image in the 20th century. -A. J. Wharton, Duke University

Booklist Review

A thoroughgoing study of the Soviet political poster at its apex-- the years of the revolution and civil war, 1918-21-- is couched in large enough format and printed well enough to be a fine gallery of the subject, too. White's efficient text sets the accomplishments of major artists and publishing agencies into the context of a nation in upheaval. The posters' themes rather than formal qualities are emphasized, arguably giving the book greater value as social than art history. Still, the illustrations are handsome and legible whether reproduced in color or black and white. All one could ask for that isn't given are full translations of the posters' texts. Notes, bibliography, and index. RO.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Stephen White is the James Bryce Professor of Politics, a Senior Research Associate of the School of Central and East European Studies at Glasgow University, and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Applied Politics in Moscow.

White graduated from Trinity College Dublin with degrees in history and political science, and then completed a PhD in Soviet studies at Glasgow - including an exchange year at Moscow State University - and a DPhil in politics at Wolfson College Oxford. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2010.

Stephen White is the author of numerous articles and books on Soviet and Russian politics.

(Bowker Author Biography)