Never before has this mysterious area had such a description, so truthful and detailed, so fascinating and exciting. The author of the book, one of the leading Russian experts in the field of antiquarian books and manuscripts, frankly reveals the secrets of the world of book collecting and antiquarian trade, teaches how to understand ancient books and engravings, and pays special attention to the most serious problem of the modern antiquarian market - counterfeit books and autographs and their recognition . This book will become a reference book for collectors and antique dealers, will be read with interest not only by historians and philologists, but even by criminologists, and will turn out to be a fascinating non-fiction for all lovers of old books. Petr Druzhinin is a major collector, professional historian, senior researcher at the Institute of the Russian Language. V. V. Vinogradov RAS.