Douglas Smith On The Final Days Of The Russian Aristocracy

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Credit courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Douglas Smith's

In 1917, the glittering elite of Tzarist Russia were crushed, practically overnight, by the Communist revolution. What happened to the nearly two million people who lived at the top of Russian society? Douglas Smith, awarding-winning historian and author, joins us to talk about "Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy."

Also this hour: Life for an actor on the radio was lived at a frenzied pace. Hollywood film actors scoffed at radio even as they feared performing on it. We explore what it took to work full-time on the radio during its Golden Age.

Plus, writer and cook Sara Dickerman stops by to share some excellent cookbooks for the holidays. Read which books she recommends on her blog.