About the book: year / "Old Moscow" by Mikhail Ivanovich Pylyaev - a unique encyclopedia-guide to that Mother Moscow, about which there were legends already in the 19th century . Unlike imperial St. Petersburg, Moscow remained a royal city, retaining its craving for a free and luxurious life, where the house of any nobleman was the courtyard of an autocratic ruler in miniature. This is a monument to that now epic era when the appearance of the city and the unique Moscow atmosphere were determined by famous historical figures - Novikov, Rumyantsev, Suvorov, Orlov, representatives of the most noble families - the Naryshkins, Sheremetevs, Yusupovs, Golitsyns. They built palaces and laid out parks, ran theaters, organized festivals, at which the whole city had fun with all their hearts for many days. The stories that make up this book are rarely found in historical works. These are unique and bright moments of life, as they were remembered by contemporaries of these events. Sad, instructive, funny, fascinating - they are all authentic, as are the portraits of the main characters.