Interested Parties,
or, Who wants to use The Russian Context?

For the general reader, with general interests. For example,

Everyone has heard of Russian Proverbs. None has seen a better description of what they are and what they are about
Art shows how humor and significance require shared images
So where is Siberia, really? You mean, “Not in the Far East”?
How Lenin and Stalin really sounded, with a text and a  translation
Picture titles for “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Mussorgsky

As a reference--

For those who teach
To limit memorization assignments to texts familiar to Russians
To supply a source of readings on topics under discussion
To fill in remaining lacunae in knowledge of Russian culture

For students:
Browsing – Entertainment chapter recommends what movies to see
To hear how the familiar poetry sounds, and to repeat ad infinitum
An opportunity to investigate particular interests: the book assumes interest in (Music, Art, Early Education, Literature, Science), i.e., something
A reference for abbreviations can be found in the index
A reference for stresses in names and place names that dictionaries do not normally supply

For “heritage speakers” of Russian -- the inheritors of Russian abroad:
These are what your parents want you to know
They are also what other people will expect that you know

This book serves to define, that is, put limits on culture, a heretofore admittedly necessary but amorphous subject that has been used to terrify the uninitiated and confuse the rest.