Russian colonies in America are often mentioned as a little "fun fact" when taking about the colonial period, but I'd like to learn more about their experience on the continent. What were the pushes and pulls that attracted Russians to the New World? How did their expectations compare to reality? In what ways were they forced to adapt? How did they interact with native peoples? Why did Russian colonization efforts ultimately fail?
I actually haven't read it (it's been on my reading list for ages!), so I can't offer any gloss here, but I think I know of a good book for you: Ilya Vinkovetsky's Russian America: An Overseas Colony of a Continental Empire, 1804-1867.