In this Book
- A Russian Merchant's Tale: The Life and Adventures of Ivan Alekseevich Tolchënov, Based on His Diary
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: Indiana University Press
- Series: Indiana-Michigan Series in Russian and East European Studies
Based on the rare diary of an 18th-century Russian provincial merchant, A Russian Merchant's Tale presents a revealing portrait of Russia's little-known commercial class. By recording his daily contacts with a wide array of individuals from lords to laborers for more than 40 years, Ivan Alekseevich Tolchënov opened a window onto the education, work, birth, death, marriage, business, civic, holiday, and religious practices of a social group about which little has been known. Using the tools of microhistory to interpret the diary, David L. Ransel vividly brings to life Tolchënov's self-construction, his relations with family and society, and his entire world of aspirations, achievements, and failures. Challenging prevailing stereotypes of Russian merchants as tradition-bound and narrow-minded, A Russian Merchant's Tale offers important new insights into the social history of imperial Russia.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-x
- Introduction
- pp. xi-xxvi
- 2 Local Politics during Ivan’s Youth
- pp. 24-45
- 4 Young Paterfamilias
- pp. 73-106
- 5 Leading Citizen
- pp. 107-151
- 6 Eminent Trickster
- pp. 152-189
- 7 Moscow Townsman
- pp. 190-222
- 8 A New Equilibrium
- pp. 223-251
- Conclusion
- pp. 252-256
- Bibliography
- pp. 291-304