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Informal notes, rather than a formal review.

More than a decade ago, business took me to Portland. There I fell in love with the city's variety of gardens, its vibrant artistic/craft community, and the thoughtfulness with which its residents had dotted the city streets with bubblers for four-legged residents.

I managed to steal an hour to visit Powell's, and there I found this and several other books, gently used, in double-filled shelves. The concept of a place so packed with an esoteric array of books that one could buy and bring home visit anytime one liked still makes my heart beat a little quicker.

I remember sitting on the floor in the midst of the stacks and leafing through Kurth's book and knowing that it needed to come home with me. Before that day, my only focused reading about the Romanovs was Massie's excellent Nicholas and Alexandra, and this was my first real chance to see the people he had brought to life so stirringly.

Over the years, I have revisited this book and continue to appreciate the selection of images, and the large format that enables them to be studied in detail. This is a worthwhile companion, even though additional images continue to become available.