Book excerpt: “The Romance of the Romanovs” is a detailed treatise on the Romanov Dynasty of Russia and their eventual downfall, written by Joseph McCabe. Within it, McCabe explores this notably autocratic episode of history, looking at its origin, brutality, corruption, and its terrible final struggle and defeat. The House of Romanov was the second ruling Russian dynasty after the House of Rurik, reigning from 1613 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. The Romanov dynasty had 65 members at the start of 1917. By the end of it, 18 had been killed by the Bolsheviks while the remaining 47 had gone into exile abroad. Contents include: “Christianity or Secularism: Which is the Better for Mankind?” (1911), “Goethe: The Man And His Character” (1912), and “The Story of Evolution” (1912). Joseph Martin McCabe (867 – 1955) was an English writer and advocate of freethought. Having been a priest, he was a vocal critic of the Catholic Church and one of the most prominent speakers on the subject of freethought in England. Many vintage book such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern edition complete with the original text and artwork.