Robert K. Massie Books In Order

Publication Order of The Romanovs Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

About Robert K. Massie

Producing a highly respectable backlog of work over the course of his career and lifetime, Robert Kinloch Massie III was an award winning American author, journalist, and historian. This would see him become a huge figure throughout much of his writing career, making a name for himself internationally. Writing in a clear and accessible style, he would find a worldwide audience, with readers from all over coming to appreciate his work. Teaching as well, he lecture at a number of prestigious universities, becoming a central figure with an influential reputation.

Combining journalism and history, he’d write about key figures throughout the ages, writing in a clear and detailed manner. This is something that he excelled at, producing work that would really resonate, while speaking in a style that made history fun and engaging. Ensuring that readers continued coming back for more too, he would build a brand around it all, really allowing the past to come alive. The people that populated his books would feel wholly real and three-dimensional, almost speaking directly to the reader.

Winning a Pulitzer for his work during his lifetime, he’d come to be highly regarded by both the critics and the general public alike. Paying close attention to detail, all of his work would be well researched, showing a real affinity for the subjects he wrote about. This would also allow them to feel a lot more authentic and wholly real upon the page, giving the reader a real genuine sense of the past. There’s a lot more to come too, as he will carry on writing for quite some time to come, with a lot more to follow yet.

Early and Personal Life

Robert Kinloch Massie was born in Versailles, Kentucky, on the 5th of January, 1929, to Molly and Robert Massie Jr. His mother was an activist for progressive causes, and he this helped inspire Robert as an author in the years to come. Attending Yale and Oxford University, he was highly gifted, gaining degrees in American studies, allowing him to advance himself as a writer.

With something to say, he would make a name for himself in the years to come, allowing his prominence as an author to grow. A scholar and a journalist, he would also serve as a nuclear targeting officer for the United States Navy during the 1950s, around the time of the Korean Cold War. Leaving behind a strong legacy that is still felt to this very day, scores of readers around the world continue to discover both him and his work.

Writing Career

Starting out working for Collier’s as a journalist, he would go on to work for Newsweek between the years of 1959 and 1962. Teaching as well, Massie lectured at both Tulane and Princeton universities, making a name for himself within academic circles too. It would be later that he was to go on and produce historical texts and writing, something which he would largely become known for.

His first book was titled ‘Nicholas and Alexandria,’ brought out in 1967, later going on to be adapted into a 1971 film starring Laurence Olivier. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1981, he would receive the award for his 1980 book ‘Peter the Great.’ He was also president of ‘The Authors Guild’ between 1987 and 1991, and his name lives on as one of the foremost influential novelists in his field to date.

Catherine the Great

Initially brought out in 2011 on the 8th of November, this would be one of the later books from Robert K. Massie. Released by Random House, it’s also the second in ‘The Romanovs’ series of historical novels, although they’d be published in a different order. Following the rule of Catherine the Great, it’s a historical book with a lot of attention to detail, focusing in on her life and what it meant.

Born into minor German nobility, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst would go on to become Catherine II, or Catherine the Great as she was more commonly known. Moving to Russia at 14, she would transform herself into one of the most powerful leaders the country had ever seen, gaining prominence and prestige. Persevering through all manner of hardship, dealing with the scheming of those around her, she would go on to create a legacy that’s still admired to this day. This book seeks to chart all that, looking at the woman behind the myth and what her reign meant for the world at large.

It’s easy to see why this book is so popular, as, not only is it so well researched, but it also tells an extremely compelling story along the way. Grabbing the reader instantly, it really draws them in, educating them on a subject they may otherwise have known nothing about. There’s a lot to invest in here, making it a must for both fans of Massie as an author, and of history as a whole.

Nicholas and Alexandria

This book would be the third title chronologically in ‘The Romanovs’ series of novels, as they’d all chart a period in Russian history. Coming out through the ‘Random House’ publishing imprint in 1967 on the 30th of June, it would be an earlier novel from Massie. It would also be made into a film in 1971, which itself would be an epic following the historical period and drama.

This looks at the last Emperor of Russia, the Tsar Nicholas II, as he marries Alexandria, and his turbulent rule over Russia during a time of social upheaval. It also sees Alexandria developing an obsession with the highly corrupt mystic Rasputin, along with their son Alexei’s haemophilia. All this as the Russian empire begins crumble in the face of a mounting revolution, as tragedy lies on the horizon. This account by Massie charts it all in great detail, giving a full understanding of what it was like and what actually happened.

Breaking down every strata of Russian society at the time, this book manages to really bring the story to life, giving it a definite sense of vitality. This works well for the reader, in what is an engaging and extremely interesting story on many different levels. Not a difficult book to follow either, the reader doesn’t need any prior knowledge of the subject, as it makes it all clear and accessible throughout.