This book is a captivating journey into the world of Russian literature, where the main character is the book itself. Yulia Shcherbinina's anthology brings together a wide variety of stories: from realistic sketches to mystical novellas, from satirical scenes to touching childhood memories. The anthology's five sections explore the role books played in the lives of various social strata, how the book trade worked, where rare editions fetched fortunes, and the legends that imbued books with a mystical aura. The anthology features both well-known Russian authors of the 19th and 20th centuries (I. Goncharov, A. Chekhov, A. Kuprin, M. Gorky) and half-forgotten ones whose works are equally captivating.