These are some of the books we found most useful:
Sale of the Century: Russia's Wild Ride from Communism to Capitalism, by Chrystia Freeland (Doubleday Canada, 2000)
The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia, David Hoffman (Public Affairs, 2002)
Midnight Diaries by Boris Yeltsin (Phoenix, 2001)
First Person, by Vladimir Putin (Random House, 2000)
Tales of a Kremlin Digger, by Elena Tregubova (published only in Russia - passages quoted in this book translated by Elly Watson)
Putin's Progress, by Peter Truscott (Simon and Schuster, 2004)
False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism, by John Gray (Granta Books, 1998)
The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, by Daniel Yergin (Free Press, 2003)
Blue Tomorrow? The Football, Finance and Future of Chelsea Football Club, by Mark Meehan (Empire Publications, 2000)
Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football, by Tom Bower (Simon and Schuster, 2003)
Footnote
[*] When asked to respond to this piece of irreverence from Chelsea fans, Abramovich's spokesman John Mann said: 'Obviously, there is an education process, not just for Chelsea fans but for all of the United Kingdom. They are learning that business in Russia is not the same as in the West, and they are learning about a man who has done well in a difficult environment and come out on top. I recall that during the initial press blitz, there were a couple of publications that tried to link Mr Abramovich with the Russian mafia, which anyone who knows the business world here understands is far-fetched. I know that Roman did enjoy the reception he received from Chelsea fans this season, especially at that first home game.'