2008-09-19 Fiction? Of couse but no need for obvious historical bulnders

I have read Court of the Red Tsar, Potemkin etc and enjoyed them all very much although every 50 pages or so there was a ridiculous spelling or factual blunder that jumps at any reasonably educated Russian reader. These mistakes undermine the credibility of otherwise excellent books and are really frustrating as far as I am concerned. Sashenka (fiction, of course) is a real stunner in this department from the very first pages. On page one the gendarmes sport Mauser revolvers (they actually had Smith & Wessons or Nagants) and wear blue summer uniform jackets in the middle of winter (supposed to be wearing gray overcoats - it's cold!) topped with plumed hats (discontinued in 1907 and anyway part of summer uniform) instead of fur hats with badges. On page two the chauffer's reasonable (albeit long) Russian name Panteleimon turns into the mind-boggling Pantameilion (where is that from !?) and on it goes. "Borscht" with a "t" - sorry, this word has never had a "t", "Okhrana" loses a "k" - Okhranka was the common name for the Okhrannoye Otdeleniye - see Encyclopaedia Britannica and on and on and on. Mr Montefiore is supposed to be a historian, but this profession does imply more careful inspection of facts. Frustrating.... Need a consultant, Simon? Only £50 a word :)