IVAN THE TERRIBLE

Although highly intelligent, well-read, and deeply religious, Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) favored a life of unbridled licentiousness and brutal cruelty for much of his reign. Based heavily on original Russian sources, and offering a chilling portrait of the brutal age in which he lived, this biography is a vivid portrayal of a ruthless monarch who invoked terror in his subjects and enemies alike. Illus.