Tobolsk: Architectural Heritage in Photographs

Tobolsk: Architectural Heritage in Photographs has recently been published by "Tri Kvadrata" publishers in Moscow with the support of the Kennan Institute. This book is devoted to the architectural heritage of Tobolsk, situated on the Irtysh River and one of the oldest Russian towns in Siberia. The text and photographs are by William Craft Brumfield, one of the leading western specialists on the history of Russian architecture, professor of Slavic studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, and honorary fellow of both the Russian Academy of the Arts and the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences.

The book contains color as well as black-and-white images of architectural monuments and landscapes photographed by Brumfield during his travels in the Tiumen/Tobolsk territory. The negatives for these photographs are preserved in the William Brumfield Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The volume begins with the author's survey, in Russian and in English, of the architecture of Tobolsk in historical context. Also included are monuments from other historic sites in the region such as Abalak, Preobrazhenka and Mezhdugorskaia pustyn. The frontispiece reproduces a fragment from an early 17th century map of Russia by Hessel Gerits published in Amsterdam in 1662.

This is the third volume in the "Discovering Russia" series of books dedicated to lesser known corners of Russia and their architectural history. The series, which includes Brumfield's previous books on Totma and Irkutsk, is intended for those interested in architecture, history, photography, and regional studies. By virtue of the dual language text of these books, readers not only in Russia but abroad will become better acquainted with these rare treasures of Russia's cultural heritage.

ISBN: 5-94607-063-0
OCLC #: 71332956