An NIU professor’s book was selected by the New York Times as one of the best books published last year.

“Red Victory: A History of the Russian Civil War,” by NIU Professor W. Bruce Lincoln, has been selected by the Times as one of the “Notable Books of the Year” for 1990.

Lincoln’s book also is the alternate selection featured this month for the Conservative Book Club.

The Chicago Tribune review of “Red Victory” said the book is “history as it should be written.” The San Francisco Chronicle review said it is “the most complete and balanced account available of the stunning and complex events of the Russian Civil War.”

Lincoln is the author of nine books on Russia and the Soviet Union. “Red Victory” is the third volume in a trilogy of books dealing with Russia between the years 1890 and 1921. The first two volumes in the trilogy are “In War’s Dark Shadow” and “Passage Through Armageddon.”

“‘Red Victory’is basically a book that chronicles very complex events of the Russian Civil War and provides important insights into the current situation,” Lincoln said. “It provides a historical perspective and explains origins of the Soviet Union.”

Lincoln is a Russian history professor who has been with NIU since 1967. He earned a bachelor’s degree from William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va., and earned his doctorate at the University of Chicago. He has had at least four Fulbright scholarships and was a Guggenheim Fellow from 1982-83.

Lincoln said he lived in Russia and Eastern Europe for a total of four years. He had a senior research fellowship at Moscow State University and Leningrad State University.

Lincoln’s next book is about Siberia. He said it is a “study of Siberian history and development,” adding that Siberia is a “major source of natural resources.”