1991 was a seminal year for Romanov researchers. Many documents previously held private under the Soviet Union were released for scholarly access. I have to thank experts for my access to those recently released documents. They did the legwork, compiling, translating and putting them into the context of history. I merely stood on their shoulders, examining and asking questions of their work. In truth, it wouldn’t have been feasible for me to dig around in the Archive of the Russian Federation. I don’t speak or read Russian. This is why experts are so important. I depended on them for reliable English versions of Yakov Yurovsky’s account of the murders, for example, or those memories of the cleaning women who visited the family during their last days. When it came to the Romanovs themselves, however, I depended on myself. That’s because the family spoke and wrote English. Still, experts—those who had done lengthy research in the Moscow archive—provided me with the primary documents.
Scholars are incredibly generous. All my nonfiction titles have been immeasurably improved by their time and efforts. But perhaps no one has been more helpful than Dr. Mark D. Steinberg. While doing research, I’d come to rely on Dr. Steinberg’s work—his accessible histories of Russia, his impeccable translations of documents recently released from the Russian archives, his re-examination of Nicholas’ leadership abilities, his new and brilliant scholarship on Lenin, his admiration for Maxim Gorky. Can you tell I am a fan?
So as the first draft of the book neared completion I approached him tentatively. More than anything, I wanted him to read what I’d written. I wanted his opinion, his knowledge. I wrote him, explaining my purpose and my readership. Then I crossed my fingers and hoped he’d answer. He did…enthusiastically. Over the course of the next six months, he read my draft, made suggestions, pointed out errors, and suggested more appropriate source material and forced me to look at the evidence in different ways. He sent along books and articles he believed would help in my work. He re-read portions of the book I’d reworked based on his comments, and patiently answered what must have felt like a tireless stream of questions throughout the entire publication process. That’s generosity!