Cathy A. Frierson is professor of history at the University of New Hampshire. She is the author of Peasant Icons: Representation of Rural People in Late Imperial Russia and Alexander Nikolaevich Engelgardt's Letters from the Country, 1872-1887.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE: FROM BENEVOLENT FORCE TO NATIONAL MISFORTUNE: FIRE'S CONTESTED MEANINGS IN RURAL RUSSIA
Fire as Gentle Cookery and Paradise: Peasants as Mistresses and Masters of Fire
Fire as Apocalypse or Pathology: Peasants as Victims or Vectors of Fire
Fire as Russia's Historical Evil: Peasants Dispossessed by Fire
PART TWO: LETTING LOOSE THE RED ROOSTER: ARSON IN RURAL RUSSIA
The Fiery Brand, Russian Style: Arson as Protest, Peasants as Incendiaries
Arson as Impotent Spite or Potent Practice: Peasants as Vengefull, Covetous, or Wily Actors
PART THREE: MOBILIZING TO MAKE RUSSIA MODERN: INSURING, PLANNING, VOLUNTEERING
Fire as Insurance Hazard: Peasants as Students of Prudence and Precaution
Fire Contained in the Planned Village: Peasants as Residents in a Disciplined Domestic Order
Fire as the Internal Enemy: Peasants as Volunteer Firefighters
Conclusion: Fire as an Imperial Legacy, Peasants as Partners in Progress
Notes
References
Index