BOOK NOTES

Updated edition of Subtelny's acclaimed "Ukraine: A History"

"Ukraine: A History," Third Edition, by Orest Subtelny. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Inc., 2000, 736 pages, $100 (cloth)/$40 (paperback).

The third edition of Orest Subtelny's "Ukraine: A History" contains a new and lengthy chapter on the first 10 years of Ukrainian independence and an updated bibliography.

In his preface, Prof. Subtelny writes, "When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, hopes for a rapid transformation of the former republics into democratic societies with market-based economies were high. But, as time passed, it has become clear that these expectations had been far too optimistic. Reforming post-Soviet societies proved to be an extraordinarily difficult and frustrating process. Soviet structures and values had much deeper roots than many realized and, by the same token, the basis for economic institutions and market-oriented reforms was much weaker than expected."

"...Unfortunately, it was a painful and all-encompassing process that set the tone for Ukraine's first decade as an independent state," Prof. Subtelny explains. "Nonetheless, as the new millennium began, it was as clear that the process of transition from the Soviet system had reached the point of no return and that the benefits of change would come, if not in the next decade, then in the next generation."

Orders for this book can be sent to: University of Toronto Press, 5201 Dufferin St., North York, Ontario M3H 5T8; Tel; (800)565-9523/(416) 667-7791; Fax; (800) 221-9985 / (416) 667-7832.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 18, 2001, No. 7, Vol. LXIX

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