Memories: From Serfdom to the Bolsheviks

The memoirs of Nikolai Yegorovich Wrangel (1847-1923), father of art historian N.N. Wrangel and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Southern Russia P.N. Wrangel, remain relevant: a well-known entrepreneur of his time, an art connoisseur and painting collector, author of dramatic works, he describes how the state in the second half of the 19th - early 20th century hampered the initiative of its subjects in every possible way, stifling their endeavors with instructions and bureaucratic oversight. Various spheres of Russian life pass before the readers: capitals and provinces, the imperial court and peasantry... Famous historical figures with whom N.E. Wrangel had the opportunity to meet are vividly characterized: M.A. Bakunin, M.D. Skobelev, S.Yu. Witte, Alexander III, and others. The first edition of the book was published by "Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie" in 2003 and has become a bibliographic rarity.