Book Talk: On Horseback Through Russia from 1898. A view into a long lost world.

This book talk goes back to a lovely late spring day I strolled around Gothenburg city. Musing at the beauty and just being at peace. I eventually walked into an antique book shop and asked for the old traveling section. I was directed all the way in through the labyrinth like layout of the show with books from top to bottom on the walls, and with some curiosities and old stuff. My eyes caught this 100+ year old book.

I know a bit about Russian history and I love to read old travel books. Swedes were back then and are still today fond of traveling. Old original travel books are interesting to read, as the world they are in is no longer in existence. But also because publishing books wasn’t as accessible as today. Video and blogs and photo sharing has drowned the mysticism of a travelers memoirs.

Books With Historical Context

Anyway, this book caught my interest as it was the period prior to WWI and the tragic revolution in Imperial Russia. I enjoyed reading about the train rides, the way people traveled by train and the customs, how the train station was designed. The description of Russia and Russians by a Swede who had been in Russia two times already prior.

Not only that, but as he leaves with the ship to St. Petersburg from Stockholm he looks back upon the World Fair in Stockholm. Being on board of visitors who are traveling back home across the Baltic Sea he shares thoughts and ideas about humanity, progress, quality of life and such which are as relevant today as they seemed to have been back then, when the so called modern world was emerging.

Later on in Russia the book already before the first hundred pages takes you to the private estate of Tolstoy whom the author had met on previous occasions. They exchange ideas on art, humanity, life and health. Of course, through the chosen words of the author, but nevertheless there’s a vivid presence in the book. Of people, meetings, environments, conversations and ambience that is long gone. Stuck in pages of a book long forgotten.

So that’s why I sometimes do these book talk videos of older books. I’ts never about the book in itself, but the experience of the world long lost that’s still available to explore.

For Swedes, here’s the book on Archive.org.