What do we know about Russian merchants? Alas, not much; in literature and art there is an image of reckless crap and revelers, whose motto is: "we will make it - we will live!" But who then raised the economy of Russia - Russia after devastating wars and unrest? Who made the country a powerful exporter of furs and bread, weapons and gems? In the book of Valery Perkhavko, the chronicle of the life and affairs of the merchant class is inseparable from the history of the Russian state.