[.ca] Ukraine In Pictures (ISBN 0822523981)

Lots of info--supplemented and updated via the web, but caution must be used in using it as a reference:
This second edition of the Visual Geography Series, Ukraine in Pictures, not only covers an area much broader than just geography in its 80 pages, but it also touches on these topics: the Land; History and Government; People; Cultural Life; and the Economy. A nice feature of Ukraine in Pictures is that it's web enhanced. Anyone needing more detailed information needs only to visit the website, and in the left-hand column click on Ukraine for quick access to: downloadable maps, a flag, and photos for reports; and, links, which correspond to the main sections in the book. The website will give students quick access to notes/instructions, report writing tips, a sample outline and tips on how to write a bibliography. There's also a section entitled Teacher Resources. Each of the main headings in the book is enhanced with colored panoramic photos spanning two pages. Throughout, notes are highlighted; as an example: "Since becoming an independent nation in 1991, Ukrainians are changing the spellings of their cities and regions from Russian back to Ukrainian. For example, the Russian spelling of the capital city, Kiev, is slowly being replaced by the Ukrainian spelling, Kyiv. For this book, Ukrainian spellings have been used whenever available, with Russian spelling followed in parentheses." Another example: "For much of its history, Ukraine was known as the Ukraine because it was considered to be simply an extension of the larger Russian (and later Soviet) Empire. After Ukraine became an independent nation, the government announced that the nation would be known as Ukraine to distinguish it as a separate country." Regarding the above note on page 10 stating that "Ukraine" was known as "the Ukraine" for much of its history, please consider the following: "The name Rus was first applied to the land occupied by the tribe of the Polians, but later to the whole territory ruled by Kiev, to be at last superseded by the name Ukraine \oThe name Ukraine is first mentioned in the chronicles under A.D. 1187 (Editor)\c." Citation: "A History of Ukraine" by Michael Hrushevsky, edited by O. J. Frederiksen, published for the Ukrainian National Association, Archon Books, Copyright 1941, by Yale University Press, reprinted 1970, pg. 40. Also, please consider Arnold Berke's article "Ukrainian Dawn," Historic Preservation, March/April, 1993, pp. 31-32: "Ukraine is a new country but an old nation--a fact often lost on foreigners, who remain largely ignorant of this land of fifty-two million people, Europe's second largest in area after Russia. Ukraine to them (Russians) has always been "the" Ukraine--no more than a region of its powerful northern neighbor, Russia--and Ukrainian culture a mere variation on the Russian national theme. Russians used to call Ukraine"Little Russia," a sobriquet that Tchaikovsky`s Second Symphony earned for its use of Ukrainian folk themes. Even the Ukrainian language was downgraded as a dialect of Russian, although Ukrainian differs from Russian as much as does Polish." Although the book is called (as are others in the series) Ukraine in Pictures, the photos are used as supplements to the text rather than being a photo album with captions. For anybody wishing wonderful photo albums depicting Ukraine and Ukrainians, please see my reviews of Simply Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine in Postcards, Kiev in Autumn Colours, and Ukraine Worldwide. I also heartily recommend Ukraine, Its History and Its Arts and Ukraine and Ukrainians--both by Peter Kardash. If they aren't available for purchase on Amazon, they usually can be obtained through libraries or through interlibrary loan. Since so many topics are explored in only 80 pages, it stands to reason that for an in-depth education, the reader will need to investigate further. An example is mention of the famine. Famine conjures natural occurrences; Ukraine had man-made famines--genocides. Please see my reviews of Genocide in Ukraine, Harvest of Despair, the Unknown Holocaust, and Enough. Other good sources are The Encyclopedia of Ukraine (on the Internet) and Robert Conquest's book, The Harvest of Sorrow. Features of the book include a timeline of history, currency fast facts, a description and photo of the Ukrainian flag, the national anthem, famous people (again, for a more extensive exploration, please see the website of The Encyclopedia of Ukraine), sights to see, glossary, selected bibliography, and further reading and websites. There are good references listed such as: Professor Orest Subtelny's book Ukraine: A History (the book's bibliography misspells his name as Subtleny), Kyiv Post (on the Internet), Ukrainian World Congress, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, and Robert Conquest's book, The Harvest of Sorrow. One of the bibliography entries needs a word of caution. Please read my review of Anna Reid's book Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine. Although it's mentioned in the selected bibliography, I found her book to be extremely biased and anti-Ukrainian. Regarding the description of Cossacks by Anna Reid on pg. 23 where she compares them to cowboys, please consider the following: In my review of the video entitled, "Ukraine: Ancient Crossroads, Modern Dreams," I quote from the movie: In one segment, the narrator explains that "Kozaks did more than fight and dance, they also financed the building of many churches...the Kozaks brought many fine churches and other developments to the region, but, perhaps, their most important achievement was holding off the bondage of serfdom..." The video is available through interlibrary loan--it is a must-see video. Ukrainians don't consider Cossacks (Kozaks) to be cowboys; they are so much more! The Encyclopedia of Ukraine describes Cossacks as: "By the end of the 15th century the name acquired a wider sense and was applied to those Ukrainians who went into the steppes to practice various trades and engage in hunting, fishing, beekeeping, the collection of salt and saltpeter, and so on. The history of the Ukrainian Cossacks has three distinct aspects: their struggle against the Tatars and the Turks in the steppe and on the Black Sea; their participation in the struggle of the Ukrainian people against socioeconomic and national-religious oppression by the Polish magnates; and their role in the building of an autonomous Ukrainian state. The important political role played by the Ukrainian Cossacks in the history of their nation distinguishes them from the Russian Cossacks." The cover left me a bit puzzled, since it isn't what would come to mind when thinking of Ukraine. For future editions, if searching for the unusual, perhaps covers with: woodcuts or etchings by Ukrainian born painter and sculptor Jacques Hnizdovsky (America's greatest woodcut artist), trembita players in the Carpathian Mountains (a trembita is a Ukrainian alpine horn made of wood), or Ukrainian dancers. Ukraine in Pictures is worth first reading and then exploring in greater depth. Caution must be used, however, to ensure sources aren't biased.--Mandrivnyk, Arlington Heights, IL, USA.