Tsar Ivan IV "the Terrible" (1530-1584)

[XeniaCasaraghi]

I don't like Ivan personally....though I admit I like him a little more than Peter simply because Ivan killed his son by accident and Peter tortured and killed his. In that sense I am biased; but sometimes in reading the things he did I kind of understand why he did them and the insecurity he felt; though the black KKK was definitely a sign of a man who had too much power. But it was never safe to be a ruler of Russia.
What books have you read on Ivan?

[Artemisia]

Most of the books I've read were in Russian, so sorry for any mispronunciation and/or mistranslation in the book and author names.
I've can recall off the top of my head the following books that dealt, directly or indirectly, with the Tsar's reign.
- "Reforms by Ivan the Terrible: essays on socio-economical history of XVI century Russian" by Zimin.
- "Ivan IV the Terrible" by Volodohin.
- "The Livonian War" by Koroliuk
- "Ivan the Terrible and his psychological condition" by Kovalyoski
- "Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great: concept of the first Monarch" by Panchenko (not sure about the author, will check later)
- "History of the state of Russia" by Karamzin (either volume 7, or 8)

The only books that tried to view Ivan IV from a different perspective were:
- "Ivan the Terrible: Sadist or martyr" by Pronina. I cannot say I particularly enjoyed the book.
- "The truth about the first Russian Tsar: who and why tries to destroy the image of Lord Ioann Vasilyevich" by Fomin.