At the end of the 19th century, as today, our countrymen dreamed of spending the summer months closer to nature—outdoors, away from city noise and bustle. In this new collection by the celebrated satirist of the past century, Nikolay Aleksandrovich Leikin, you’ll see not only the customs and signs of a bygone era, but also what remains relevant over time. Here are the hassles of finding and renting a dacha, the nuances of communicating with local villagers, relationships among the dacha residents themselves, mushroom-and-fish outings, folk superstitions, and, of course, the Russian soul—just as broad and many-sided as the country itself.