The book in the system of modern museology is unique. For the first time, the evolution of museum activity, from ancient times to the present day, is described in the categories of reductionism, as a result of major social, economic and political processes. Particular attention is paid to the state of museum affairs in modern times, and as a counteraction to museum conformism and the dominance of "unctuous museology" - a call for a critical look at the museum of the post-industrial period. The author - a museologist, candidate of cultural studies, a member of ICOM, previously - the head of several museum institutions, interpreting the museum as a "specific information system," introduces into scientific circulation the concepts of "matrix of a museum institution" and "museum efficiency coefficient." New categories of museum knowledge allow him for the first time at the quantitative level, to correctly conduct a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of museums of various types (museum-reserve, memorial, attractive, virtual, etc.), in a new vein to raise questions about the place of the museum in society, its potential, the rules of museum management and curatorship.