Zhores A. Medvedev

Although as part of my general plan, this book is a continua­ tion of my earlier monograph "Protein Biosynthesis and Problems of Ontogenesis,"* published in 1963, in all other respects it is an independent work. The earlier monograph was devoted to the analysis of many of the aspects of the problem of protein biosynthesis, and problems of inheritance and development were discussed only insofar as they are derivatives of the problems of biosynthesis. The complex act of protein biosynthesis, comprising autore­ production of the genetic material (DNA), formation of the templates of protein synthesis (messenger RNA), synthesis of amino acid carriers (transfer RNA), formation of ribosomes and polysomes, activation of amino acids, and so on, was examined in the previous monograph not merely from the standpoint of interaction between the components of this system, but also from that of their mani­ festation in actual biological systems during morphogenesis and aging of the organism. However, both morphogenesis and aging were investigated very generally, Simply as models, without any detailed analysis of their specific features and complexity. The present book is therefore a logical continuation of its prede­ cessor. It rests largely on a comprehensive analysis of the molecular-genetic and biochemical aspects of development and differentiation of living organisms, and questions of protein biosyn­ thesis are discussed briefly and generally, and only so far as is necessary for fulfillment of the primary task. • Zh. A. Medvedev. 1966. Protein Biosynthesis and Problems of Heredity. Developement.

Includes coverage of: John Major interviewed by Elinor Goodman; Hans von Sponeck interviewed by Silvia Cattori - Manipulating the Security Council; Usamah Hamden, Michael Ancram MP, Jonathan Lehrle, Mark Perry - "Eyeless in Gaza"; Gabriel Kolko - "Israel"; and James Alexander Thom - "The Man Without a Country".

On the morning of April 26, 1986, a Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl (near Kiev) exploded, pouring radioactivity into the environment and setting off the worst disaster in the history of nuclear energy. Now a former Soviet scientist gives a comprehensive account of the catastrophe. Photographs.

Milestone biography of the enigmatic Stalin Authors are Russia's greatest living historians Guaranteed extensive media coverage Josef Stalin remains one of the greatest enigmas of modern history. Unflinching, impenetrable, inhuman in his cruelty, bathed in misery himself, he represents to many a very paradigm of evil - perhaps, in his icy rationalism, even more so than Hitler himself. More than a hundred biographies of Stalin have been written since his death in 1953, but 'The Unknown Stalin' is the first detailed study of the torrent of new material unleashed with the opening of the secret Soviet archives when the Union collapsed. The truths extracted from these long secret archives provides a radically fresh insight into the life and career of one of the major figures of the twentieth century. 'The Unknown Stalin' by two of Russia's most distinguished historians represents one of the greatest contributions to the study of Stalin in decades, and will be of vital interest to scholars and general readers alike.

In March 1985, without the usual long delay and speculation, Mikhail Gorbachev, at fifty-four years of age, became the youngest Soviet leader since Stalin. Gorbachev belongs to a new generation of Communist leaders, a generation that did not experience the suffering and fear that Gorbachev's predecessors did who came to power under Stalin. He is a product of the system, not one of its creators. Within a year his vigorous style had made him a well-known political figure throughout the world. In this book, Zhores A. Medvedev, author of an acclaimed biography of Yuri Andropov and many other books on Soviet history, looks at the inner workings of Soviet leadership and at Gorbachev the man and his rise to power. For the paperback edition, Mr. Medvedev has provided a new chapter on recent events, including the Chernobyl disaster: its long-range effects and what is revealed about Gorbachev's leadership and Soviet decision making.

Two prominent Soviet dissidents portray Khrushchev in power as a shrewd, complex, decisive, and impetuous innovator, impatient to remedy defects in the Soviet system but carried away by initial successes.