A cookbook on Russian cuisine - beyond borscht and vodka

I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it’s impossible not to be impressed by the looks of this volume. It’s huge (32.3cm x 24.5cm x 4.7cm), heavy (close to 4kg) and bound in bright red, embossed leather. The title page lists nine authors, many of whom seem to have written other cookbooks in Russian. Most of us would be hard-pressed to explain what Russian food is, exactly. We could probably name a few elements of the cuisine: borscht, chicken Kiev, Russian salad...