Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror

Victor Sebestyen's riveting biography of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin-the first major biography in English in nearly two decades-is not only a political examination of one of the most important historical figures of the twentieth century but also a fascinating portrait of Lenin the man.

Brought up in comfort and with a passion for hunting and fishing, chess, and the English classics, Lenin was radicalized after the execution of his brother in 1887. Sebestyen traces the story from Lenin's early year...