This book focuses on the city of St Petersburg, the capital of the Russian empire from the early eighteenth century until the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917. It uses the Russian court as a prism through which to view the various cultural changes that were introduced in the city during the eighteenth century.
"Keenan does a fine job of giving us a sense of the period's byt', Russian for 'everyday life'. ... excellent and novel feature of the book is Keenan's frequent comparison of St Petersburg to other contemporary European cities such as London, Vienna and Paris. ... Keenan's book offers a much better sense of what was typical and exceptional in St Petersburg in the eighteenth century than has previously been available." (Simon Werrett, History, Vol. 100 (341), July, 2015)
"Like his mentor Lindsey Hughes's work, Keenan's book is clear, authoritative and lively. It is therefore a worthy monument to her memory." - G. M. Hamburg, Slavonic & East European Review
"In St Petersburg and the Russian Court, 1703-1761, Paul Keenan offers a comprehensive and succinct analysis of the city ... Its value to scholars of eighteenth-century Russia goes without saying." - Colum Leckey, Canadian Slavonic Papers
"Like his mentor Lindsey Hughes's work, Keenan's book is clear, authoritative and lively. It is therefore a worthy monument to her memory." - G. M. Hamburg, Slavonic & East European Review
"In St Petersburg and the Russian Court, 1703-1761, Paul Keenan offers a comprehensive and succinct analysis of the city ... Its value to scholars of eighteenth-century Russia goes without saying." - Colum Leckey, Canadian Slavonic Papers