One has only to say "the Russian country estate" and the following picture arises in one's mind: wrought-iron fence lattice; collapsed stone entrance arch; overgrown alleys; deserted pavilions and summerhouses; the manor, where the steps and whisperings of former dwellers seem to be heard. It is as if we visualize the Larin house from Pushkin's famous novel in verses, a "gentry's nest" from Turgenev's novel and "the splendid muzzles on the age-old gates" from Marina Tsvetaeva's poem. Thanks to the classics, the Russian reader has been familiar with the world of country estates since childhood and has many nostalgic associations. The book you hold is devoted to some few surviving masterpieces of Russia's estate art. You'll read about the royal country estates, such as Gatchina, Tsaritsino, Massandra; the seats of nobleman's culture - Kuskovo, Ostankino, Arkhangelskoe, Dubrovitsy, Alupka; the Russian Parnassus - the estates turned into workshops and studios by workers in the arts: Ostafievo, Mikhailovskoe, Polenovo, Abramtsevo and Talashkino. Traveling into the remotest parts of Russia and near abroad will actually mean traveling into the past of Russia's culture and art. Книга на английском языке.