"balanced and cogent narrative..." (ISS)

"This book's objectivity, scholarship, and novelty place it above others treating the same area and period...The depth of her erudition is astonishing." (SR)

"...this fine work...Polish historiography in the English language has been enriched by Blejwas' contribution..." (CSP)

"Never has the reviewer read a more objective account of events that have occurred in Central Europe over the past sixty years..." (Polish Review)

"Anyone with an interest in the region will read this book and be amply rewarded." (Austrian Studies Newsletter)

"The book will find an important place within the growing field of Yiddish theater scholarship.” (Jeffrey Veidlinger, Department of History and Associate Director, Jewish Studies Program, Indiana University)

"...an essential tool..." (SEER)

"The bibliography in question will make an indispensable research tool for all people interested in the history of Russia, Eastern Europe in general and the Near East til the beginnings of the First World War. The scope of the publication is a great deal wider than its title suggests..." (Jahrbuecher fuer Geschichte Osteuropas)

"Alles im allem ein ueberaus gehaltvoller Band, der in eindrucksvoller Vielfalt von Quellen und Methoden dem wissenschaflichen Verstaendnis des alten Russland dient." (Jahrbuecher fuer Geschichte Osteuropas)

"Technically and methodologically this monograph is simply a tour de force...The impartial reader will find it difficult not to be overwhelmed by Waugh's evidence and thoroughly convinced by his arguments. This is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of seventeenth-century Muscovite culture." (The American Historical Review)