In Prince Michael Vorontsov, Anthony Rhinelander describes Vorontsov's pragmatic approach within a bureaucracy of legendary inefficiency and corruption. In New Russia Vorontsov dealt with problems such as famine and disease and helped to keep serfdom and religious persecution out of his territory. In Caucasia he made the local administration more effective by appointing Caucasian officials who were far more sensitive to the area's particular problems than were their Russian predecessors. In fact, Vorontsov's Caucasian experience has relevance today it was recently suggested that present-day Soviet officials might have avoided some difficulty when dealing with Afghan rebels had they employed Vorontsov's tactics in handling armed guerillas. Rhinelander, whose extensive research included archival material available only in the Soviet Union, has written the first serious work on Vorontsov in English. Prince Michael Vorontsov will engage the interest and imagination of the general public and the historian.

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"How the Tsarist government administered the outlying regions of the Empire is a subject on which very little work has been done. Understanding how Vorontsov operated as an Imperial administrator sheds considerable new light on this complex topic ... The material is well organized and presented in a good, straightforward manner. Best of all, this book is interesting reading." J.W. Strong, Department of History, Carleton University. "one of the finest studies in modern Russian history to have been produced in recent years." John Keep, retired from the Department of History, University of Toronto.