Richard Pipes was a longtime Harvard University professor, historian of Imperial and Soviet Russia, and influential Soviet expert during the Cold War. A towering figure in his field, Pipes produced work that shaped the study of Russian and Soviet history, and he influenced U.S. foreign policy as a public intellectual and political advisor, including as a member of the National Security Council during the Reagan administration. At the same time, Pipes was a controversial figure; his tendency to swim against the intellectual tide and challenge consensus views alienated some colleagues and angered others.

In this biography, Daly cuts through the controversy surrounding Pipes to present a nuanced portrait of his life, thinking, and the philosophical and ethical principles that underpinned his work. Placing Pipes' scholarship and political career in the context of Russian studies, U.S.-Soviet relations, and the Cold War, Daly elucidates Pipes' impact, and argues that his broad learning, keen historical judgment, and humanistic approach permitted him to attain a deep understanding of Russia's historical and contemporary development that continues to resonate today.