Old Moscow. Old Petersburg

Mikhail Ivanovich Pylyayev (1842-1899) was born in Gdov, studied in St. Petersburg, attended lectures at Kharkov University, and traveled extensively, including to Siberia and the Caucasus, Turkey, and Egypt. In the capital's publications, Mikhail Pylyayev published articles on the history of theater and ballet, reviews of art exhibitions, and wrote about events in the cultural life of St. Petersburg. In 1879, several articles about the antiquities of Petersburg laid the foundation for future collections 'Old Petersburg. Stories from the Past Life of the Capital' and 'Old Moscow.

Stories from the Past Life of the First-Called Capital,' which earned the author a reputation as a refined connoisseur of history. For us, the works of Mikhail Pylyayev often remain the only source of facts, drawn by the author from private archives that have since been lost. But these extraordinarily charming narratives, unique guides to the bygone days of the two Russian capitals, continue to be beloved by readers even more than a century later