I was looking through the book list on the wiki (which is a great resource, by the way) for some Russian history, but it's entirely concentrated on Russia after the Revolution.
I'm a layman interested in Russian history before the Revolution, especially the Russian Empire and how it came into existence from whatever the geopolitical situation was before it existed. What do you guys recommend?
Keep in mind that "before the Revolution" and the empire's founding covers a period of several centuries. As such, it can be difficult to find a single book that covers this ground in a systematic and thorough manner. With that proviso in mind, here are a few recommendations.
Geoffrey Hosking's Russia: People and Empire, 1552-1917 is a good introductory survey into the formation of the Russian empire and its long-term problems. Richard Wortman's Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy from Peter the Great to the Abdication of Nicholas II is one of the best summaries of the Romanovs. It is a commonplace observation that Russia is a heterogeneous, multiethnic entity and Andreas Kappeler's The Russian Empire: A Multi-ethnic History seeks to place the national question back into the narrative of Russian history.