The Chief of Tales

They invented alphabets and built houses in eternal permafrost, described ancient labyrinths and hoverflies, studied fireproof clays and accents in the Japanese language, invented plastic and translated "The Book of Changes." They preserved ancient bell tolls and solved the problem of radiant equilibrium in the stellar atmosphere, raised sunken ships weighing tons from the bottom and uncovered the secrets of fine-wool sheep breeding, built an electrostatic space sail and wrote a guide for the tram master.
It seems that such people should be cherished. Remember their names. But time had other plans, and their stories have almost dissolved - leaving no trace.

This book is about them.