WITH Putin's invasion of Ukraine straining Anglo-Russian relations, author Stephan Roman says it is important to understand the way history shaped the world, with the reprint of his Isle of Wight bestseller.
Isle and Empires: Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight, now in paperback with a new preface from Stephan reflecting on current events, gives an insight into the historic relationship between the two countries - and the intriguing role the Island plays in the story.
At the heart of the book is the 1909 visit of Tsar Nicholas II and the Imperial Family to the Island for Cowes Week.
Stephan's book also explores how, a century later, the execution of the Tsar and his family by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg was marked by the unveiling of a memorial in Jubilee Park, on the hill overlooking East Cowes.
The book also explores how Peter the Great recruited Cowes-based shipwright, Joseph Nye, to help transform the Russian fleet into a major maritime power in the late 17th century.
Stephan's book recounts how, in the immediate aftermath of the October Revolution, his own family were refugees awaiting their fate on the banks of the Dniester River, having fled from Moscow through Ukraine to Moldova.
He writes in the book's preface: "As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is more important than ever to understand the way in which history has shaped the world in which we now live."
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