A standout Historian of Russian history, Lincoln is at his best covering that period from the 19th century up to the conclusion of the civil war that is probably the countries most decisive time. He is noted for the strength of his narrative voice, something he worked on consistently from his time as a student, which is what makes him notable for both readers seeking a digestible understanding of history and writers hoping to develop their own writing skills. For the purposes of this series I will be primarily using the works covering the aforementioned period, namely:
- In War’s Dark Shadow: The Russians Before the Great War (Dial Press-Doubleday, 1983)
- Passage Through Armageddon: The Russians in War and Revolution (Simon and Schuster, 1986)
- Red Victory: A History of the Russian Civil War (Simon and Schuster, 1989)
Plus some of his books that focus on subject instead of time, namely:
- The Conquest of a Continent: Siberia and the Russians (Random House, 1994)
- Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of A Thousand Years of Artistic Life in Russia (Viking Press, 1998)
When it comes to the content of his writing, Lincolns contemporaries note him for a ‘revisionist’ style promoting the last days of imperial Russia. However, when reading the books, I would say that it becomes clear that any ‘revisionism’ is a result of the contrast between Lincolns personal care of the subject matter and the generalized view of Russia, formed by the long drought of informational exchange between Russia and the English-speaking world, that would tend to characterize the story in very simple terms. Lincoln gives, or makes the impression of giving, an overall look that is reflective of his earnest interest. His writing tries to convey an experience of the place and time that was as alien to him writing then as it is to us reading today. He covers the personages of the various movers and shakers of political, social, and especially cultural life through extensive use of archival sources, in a way that is beyond a recount of events that is so often found elsewhere in English sources.
This is all good stuff but does come with the downsides. Being so detailed, and involved with more subjective matters such as culture, Lincoln naturally produces his own perspective that a less ambitious history, covering more material topics, would not. For this reason, any attempt to produce based of his work should probably attempt to at least corroborate any specific conclusions drawn with other sources.