According to Kozma Prutkov: "You cannot embrace the immense." However, the desire for this, in fact, determines the process of knowing the world. The book that is brought to your attention is a good help on the chosen path. The facts that have come to the attention of the author are sometimes completely unknown to a wide range of readers, but sometimes they are covered in Russian literature in a completely different way. However, among the undoubted advantages of Guido Knopp's work is the ability to see the great in the small and make you feel the breath of time with a capacious, accurate touch. The read makes it possible to see the past century in its chaotic ambiguity more lively and voluminous.