Russian Matryoshka

Twenty-five fun-to-use stickers showcase the craft, including mother-and-child dolls, a balalaika, basket of berries, decorative Easter eggs, and more.

Nesting one inside the other, wooden matryoshka dolls are a favorite toy in Russian homes and are collected by enthusiasts around the world. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, this volume tells the story of matryoshka production from the doll's first appearance in the toy making center of Sergiev Posad in 1899 through its contemporary interpretations by entrepreneurial artists. Each step in the manufacturing process?from the cutting of logs through the final lacquering of the dolls?is described in detail.

Meet Masha and her sisters in this charming die-cut novelty board book inspired by Russian nesting dolls. Featuring shaped pages with brightly painted edges, and culminating in a satisfying finale, these nestled dolls reinforce a sweet message: they may be different, but they're a perfect fit!

Poppets are dolls used for sympathetic magic, and are designed in the likeness of individuals in order to represent them in spells to help, heal or harm. The word poppet comes from the Middle Ages in England, originally meaning a small doll or child, and it is still in use today as a name of endearment. The term is older than the phrase ‘Voodoo doll’. Pagan Portals – Poppets and Magical Dolls explores the history of poppets and offers a practical guide to making and using them in modern witchcraft. It also covers seasonal dolls, from Brigid dolls, used in celebrations for the first stirrings of spring, to fairy dolls enjoyed in tree-dressing at Yuletide. Other topics covered include spirit dolls, ancestor dolls and dolls as representations of mythological beings and creatures from folklore. The newest book from Lucya Starza, author of Every Day Magic: A Pagan Book of Days.

Billington describes the contentious discussion occurring all over Russia and across the political spectrum. He finds conflicts raging among individuals as much as between organized groups and finds a deep underlying tension between the Russians' attempts to legitimize their new, nominally democratic identity, and their efforts to craft a new version of their old authoritarian tradition. After showing how the problem of Russian identity was framed in the past, Billington asks whether Russians will now look more to the West for a place in the common European home, or to the East for a new, Eurasian identity.

This study examines cases of rhetorical antagonisms and collaborations between the United States and the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War. The author analyzes relations from cultural and political angles and investigates mutual perspectives at both the government and grassroots levels.

Finance.