John Hughes was a very remarkable man. In 1870, at the age of 54, he decided he wanted to create a town, and did just that. Moreover, his town was nowhere near his native Merthyr Tydfil, but rather in the heart of Eastern Europe. Together with seventy Welsh workers, and with the support of the Russian and British authorities, he created an industrial centre for mining and steel-making that still exists today.

Colin Thomas' book is partly based on the 1991 TV documentary, <i>Hughesovka and the New Russia</i>, which he made with the late historian Gwyn Alf Williams. A DVD of the film, which won a Bafta award, is included with the book, and it is clear that in revisiting the film, Thomas has been able to retell and expand on the story of Hughes' town with the gift of the perspective of the last two decade's major historical changes.

Through the history of Hughesovka, now called Donestak, Thomas is able to tell a bigger story; the rise and fall of the Soviet Union in microcosm. From Bolshevism, through Stalin and on into the post-Glasnost age, Hughes' town's fortunes mirrors those of the Soviet Empire through name changes, huge industrial development, persecution and eventual liberation. A book for anyone interested not only in one man's remarkable vision and drive, but also social and political history played out on a large stage, but examined on a very human level.

- Michael Nobbs @ www.gwales.com,