This book by Mikhail Pylyayev is a unique encyclopedia-guide to the Moscow that still exists today in street and alley names, in old buildings, palaces, and, of course, in the incomparable and vivid characters of Moscow’s history. Among them are those who built palaces and laid out parks, ran theaters, organized festivities—and those who became famous for all sorts of adventures, feats, and romantic exploits. All of them became the protagonists of entertaining, instructive, and astonishing stories.