The book is dedicated to the life and work of S. Carnot (1796-1832) - the great French physicist and engineer, the founder of thermodynamics. The ideas of his classic work "Reflections on the Driving Force of Fire..." not only determined the scientific base of the energy of the 19th and 20th centuries, but also had a significant impact on the development of the physical sciences. The book uses little-known documents, as well as the work of Carnot, not published during his lifetime. For a wide range of readers.