--- product_id: 334999168 title: "The Lost Pianos of Siberia: A Sunday Times Paperback of 2021" price: "4344CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/334999168-the-lost-pianos-of-siberia-a-sunday-times-paperback-2021 store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # The Lost Pianos of Siberia: A Sunday Times Paperback of 2021 **Price:** 4344CFA **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Lost Pianos of Siberia: A Sunday Times Paperback of 2021 - **How much does it cost?** 4344CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/334999168-the-lost-pianos-of-siberia-a-sunday-times-paperback-2021) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A SUNDAY TIMES BEST PAPERBACK OF 2021 * Shortlisted for the 2021 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year prize * A critically-acclaimed Sunday Times, Spectator and Independent Book of 2020 * Now with colour photography by Michael Turek 'Richly absorbing... An impressive exploration of Siberia's terrifying past.' Guardian 'Evocative and wonderfully original.' Colin Thubron __________ Siberia's expansive history is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell. Dotted throughout this remote and beautiful landscape are pianos created during the boom years of the nineteenth century. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood. How these pianos made the journey into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is remarkable. That they might be capable of making music in such a hostile landscape feels like a miracle. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is an absorbing story about a piano hunt - a quixotic quest through two centuries of Russian history and eight time zones stretching across an eleventh of the world's land surface. It reveals not only an unexpected musical legacy, but profound and brave humanity in the last place on earth you might expect to find it. __________ What readers are saying about The Lost Pianos of Siberia : ***** 'You know a book's good when, on finishing it, you just want to start again.' ***** 'Beautifully written, full of compelling anecdotes celebrating Siberia's extraordinary history.' ***** 'The most unusual and intelligent way to tell a travel story.' Review: Thanks Sophie - One of the best travelogues I have read. I could breathe the air of Siberia Review: Unusual premise, worth reading. - Sophy Richards combines music, travel and history in a compelling account of Siberia's stark, forbidding landscape, it's chequered history as a place of exile, incarceration, banishment and unmarked graves. In complete contrast, is the beauty of this land and the haunting strains of pianos. Rissia's fluctuating history has seen one regime encourage cultural growth and expansion, the other stifling it, ostracizing and banishing liberal expression. Obliterating a nation's cultural memory is what most power centres, within the nation or invaders, target. Without culture, heritage and traditions, a nation is devoid of what defines it. Through each piano's unique number, the author attempts to locate pianos from before the Revolution, unfolding the country's political and social map. Running into walls of intrigue, time lapse and secrecy, the quest is a challenging one. How these massive instruments made their way across arguably one of the most difficult terrains to traverse, is an awe inspiring account - as the delicate strains of symphonies blend beautifully in the snowy, chilly landscape, they are the bearers too, of memories, lost, forgotten and attempting to be forgotten. Three powerful paragraphs from the book - "The sense of dystopia struck me forcefully, how an object can lose it's meaning when it has lost it's owner's story, like a body detached from it's soul, or a refugee from his homeland." "You have to know why you're ignoring things you don't want to hear, what should be remembered, and why people fall silent and try to forget." "It's simpler than you think....If you find a piano everyone likes, it's missing something; it's too generic. You want to find the instrument somebody is passionately in love with." ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #171,546 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #577 in Travel Writing (Books) #1,055 in Music Books #15,078 in History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 725 Reviews | ## Images ![The Lost Pianos of Siberia: A Sunday Times Paperback of 2021 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81k1mEiiIxL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thanks Sophie *by N***H on 13 September 2025* One of the best travelogues I have read. I could breathe the air of Siberia ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unusual premise, worth reading. *by B***A on 18 May 2024* Sophy Richards combines music, travel and history in a compelling account of Siberia's stark, forbidding landscape, it's chequered history as a place of exile, incarceration, banishment and unmarked graves. In complete contrast, is the beauty of this land and the haunting strains of pianos. Rissia's fluctuating history has seen one regime encourage cultural growth and expansion, the other stifling it, ostracizing and banishing liberal expression. Obliterating a nation's cultural memory is what most power centres, within the nation or invaders, target. Without culture, heritage and traditions, a nation is devoid of what defines it. Through each piano's unique number, the author attempts to locate pianos from before the Revolution, unfolding the country's political and social map. Running into walls of intrigue, time lapse and secrecy, the quest is a challenging one. How these massive instruments made their way across arguably one of the most difficult terrains to traverse, is an awe inspiring account - as the delicate strains of symphonies blend beautifully in the snowy, chilly landscape, they are the bearers too, of memories, lost, forgotten and attempting to be forgotten. Three powerful paragraphs from the book - "The sense of dystopia struck me forcefully, how an object can lose it's meaning when it has lost it's owner's story, like a body detached from it's soul, or a refugee from his homeland." "You have to know why you're ignoring things you don't want to hear, what should be remembered, and why people fall silent and try to forget." "It's simpler than you think....If you find a piano everyone likes, it's missing something; it's too generic. You want to find the instrument somebody is passionately in love with." ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Evocative writing, an ode to an almost lost art of travel writing *by A***R on 17 March 2023* Siberia - Cold. Isolated. Gulag. Dostoevsky. Snow. Exile. Pianos? . Sophy Roberts takes us on a journey to Siberia, hunting down old pianos that have been a part of the landscape for two centuries. Ever since Catherine the great, piano music became a central part of the Russian culture. Roberts journey takes us to various parts of the vast land that is Siberia looking not just for these pianos, but also for the tales and humans behind them. From the times of the tsars to Stalin’s great purge and the world wars, these vivid recollections enthral us as we uncover not just the tales of the people and music but also of the land that is Russia. . This book is more than a travelogue, it is a unique point of view into a country that is much in news today. No way a dialogue on the current political scenario, but the book might just help you understand the people’s history of Russia through a different lens. A beautifully written book, it is often a tale of loss and also of hope and joy! ## Frequently Bought Together - The Lost Pianos of Siberia: A Sunday Times Paperback of 2021 - Orbital: Winner of the Booker Prize 2024 - Raising Hare --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/334999168-the-lost-pianos-of-siberia-a-sunday-times-paperback-2021](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/334999168-the-lost-pianos-of-siberia-a-sunday-times-paperback-2021) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-09-21*