I recently purchased Peter the Great in the paperback version. I had no idea it was so heavy - weight is not listed for books on Amazon. The paperback book weighed over 2 lbs.! At over 900 pages, I will not read it in just a few days and I wanted to be able to take it with me on vacation. So I purchased it for my Kindle instead.That being said, Massie has crafted a fascinating read that extends well beyond the confines of 18th century Russia into all of Europe. He interweaves details that transport the reader into the life of those times. Although accurate, this does not read like a history book - more like a beautifully written novel.I have not yet finished this book but I will hate to see it end.