Blum J. Lord and Peasant in Russia from the Ninth to the Nineteenth Century

Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1961. - 654 p. To understand Russian history without understanding serfdom-the peasant-lord relationship that shaped Russia for centuries-is impossible. Still, before Jerome Blum, no scholar had tackled the subject in depth. Monumental in scope and pathbreaking in its analysis, Lord and Peasant in Russia garnered immediate attention upon its publication in 1961, a year that also marked the one hundredth anniversary of the emancipation of the Russian serfs. As one reviewer remarked, "No better book on the subject exists; it is indispensable to the serious student of Russia." Blum's book explored the legal and social evolution of its predominantly agricultural population, the types of peasant status, and the multifaceted nature of the master-peasant relationship. More important, Blum was the first to articulate the necessity of placing serfs front and center in the study of Russian history. In 1962, it was awarded the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize of the American Historical Association; it remains a cornerstone of Russian historiography.