This book provides a remarkable overview of significant themes in Russian history and culture, in each case starting well before the eighteenth century, while frequently following them up into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  Robin Milner-Gulland shows how the public face of Russia developed and evolved through its distinct architecture, astonishing art, and its varied public spaces. What emerges is a clear picture of how Russians fashioned their identity, and the national monuments associated with it, in their setting: the Russian natural landscape as well as distinctive elements of traditional material culture.  Tellingly illustrated, concise and free of jargon, Patterns of Russia will appeal to all those with an interest in the history and culture of this complex - and much discussed - country. 'Any lively mind will have something to learn from this book. Students will welcome its range and clarity; scholars will find it provocative and illuminating; and the author's vivacious style brings the vast and often unfamiliar cultural world of the early Russian lands within the reach of all interested readers.' - Simon Dixon, Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History, University College London