People have created labyrinths since ancient times. They had unusual, mysterious properties and were often endowed with a magical meaning, symbolizing the descent into the fiery abyss of hell, the ascent to the heavenly City of God, or the completely earthly road to Jerusalem. In different eras and on different continents, labyrinths were scratched out on the walls of caves, laid out from huge boulders on the shores of the northern seas, made from mosaics in temples and skillfully arranged from bushes in royal gardens. In the 20th century, they experienced a real revival - from an incomprehensible ancient curiosity they turned into a favorite entertainment for the public, a natural part of a park, estate or playground. What is most important in a labyrinth: beauty or confusion of passages? What is his mystery? Ten chapters of this book are like ten turns of a labyrinth; American David McCullough passes them without ever losing his way, confidently and competently.