description: Mark Taplin went to Russia in 1984, a junior-level diplomat sent deep into Cold War land. He tells of the map he studied, colored green for the few cities where foreigners were allowed, and omnipresent red for "Stay Away." In 1992 Taplin returned. Russia and the U.S. had signed an "Open Lands" agreement allowing free travel, and Taplin wanted to explore the lands that taunted and haunted him from the map eight years before. The result is a book you can't put down, an informed look at a complex country. Russia requires more than a casual eye and pen to sort through the contradictions, and Taplin excels in both. 
language: English
title: Open Lands: Travels Through Russia's Once Forbidden Places
titlecomplete: Open Lands: Travels Through Russia's Once Forbidden Places
genres: History, Russia, Travel, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 54
publisher: Canongate Books Ltd