CRITICAL PRAISE FOR

“Michael Romanov: Brother of the Last Tsar”

With Michael Romanov: Brother of the Last Tsar, Helen Azar and Nicholas B. A. Nicholson have pulled off a rare feat. Not only have they produced a work that is certain to become indispensable for serious students of late Tsarist Russia, but they have also crafted a true historical page-turner, filled with all the anguish, despair, and dashed hopes of those fateful years. — Douglas Smith, Award-winning author of Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs (2016), and Former People: The Fate of the Russian Aristocracy (2012)

Michael Romanov was the first member of the Imperial Family to be executed by the Bolsheviks. Michael's diaries and letters from the crucial final years of his life, translated for the first time into English, provide the first clear insights into his role in revolutionary events. Helen Azar's translation is masterful, and Nicholas B. A. Nicholson's annotations are a model of scholarly commentary. This book is a genuine publishing event in the field of Russian Studies, and will be indispensable to anyone who writes about the First World War or the Russian Revolution. — Russell E. Martin, Professor of History, Westminster College, and author of A Bride for the Tsar: Bride-Shows and Marriage Politics in Early Modern Russia (2012)

This is a welcome translation of Grand Duke Michael's diaries and letters. Nicholas Nicholson's introduction and explanatory annotations are an indispensable guide to understanding the significance of the sources. This book. will be of great use to students, scholars, and anyone interested in the end of Imperial Russia and the Russian Revolution of 1917. — Eric Lohr, Professor and Susan E. Carmel Chair of Russian History and Culture, American University

NICHOLSON ADVISORY

Nicholas B.A. Nicholson was born in New York and first visited the Soviet Union in the 1980’s. Informed by his time there, he developed an interest in Russian Fine and Decorative Art which led him to study Art History and Russian Area Studies at Kenyon College, from which he was graduated in 1991. Nicholson worked first for Karl Kemp, a premier dealer in continental furniture and decorative arts, before joining the staff of Christie's in 1993. Nicholson joined the Continental Furniture and Decorative Arts department as a Graduate Trainee, and was involved in the cataloguing and sale of the property of Alice Tully, Bernheimer & Co., and Rudolf Nureyev among others.

Nicholson took over the New York Russian Department as Specialist in 1994 and sold important property from the estates of Landsell Christie, Jane Englehardt, and Frank Sinatra, as well as participating in the landmark sale of the Faberge Imperial 25th Anniversary Clock, which at the time set records for Works of Art by Faberge, Clocks, and Silver.

Nicholson left Christie's in 1997, and became the American Curator of "Jewels of the Romanovs; Treasures from the Russian Imperial Court" an exhibition of works from five Russian lending institutions, including a selection of the Imperial Crown Jewels from the State Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation. The exhibition toured the US for two years, during which time Nicholson became a popular lecturer on Russian topics.   In 1999, Nicholson joined the staff of circline.com, an online art location and advisory service, leaving in 2002 to open his own company.

Since 2002, Nicholson has done appraisal and advisory for individuals and institutions, arranging for sales of Russian Works of Art, as well as Continental furniture, porcelain, silver, and jewelry.   While Nicholson is considered an expert on decorative objects from the "almaznii vek" or the Russian "Diamond Age" (1780-1810), his interests and expertise are broad and cover such diverse areas as Tiffany silver and 20th century jewelry; he is also a published novelist and translator.

Critical Praise for "Michael Romanov"