The Qїrghїz Baatïr and the Russian Empire: A Portrait of a Local Intermediary in Russian Central Asia by Tetsu Akiyama (review)

to reveal that Otto von Bismarck conspired to install Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on the Bulgarian throne and lied to Alexander III about it. Farrow’s account of the episode does not include the implications of Tsion’s involvement. After Catacazy’s death, Tsion carried on his campaign against the Russian political establishment, inadvertently producing a text that would become the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.18 The above criticisms and additions are not intended to detract from the book’s value. Farrow has made a significant and much-needed contribution to a long-neglected field that has lately acquired special importance and urgency. Given the fact that the resurrected spirit of Constantin Catacazy has made recent appearances in Russian popular culture and media, this learned, wellresearched, and well-written book is not to be missed.19