Petr Petrovich Gnedich (1855-1925) - famous Russian playwright, translator, art historian, cousin of the famous writer N. I. Gnedich (on his father’s side) and relative of A. S. Griboyedov (on his mother’s side). Plays by P. P. Gnedich’s “Slaves”, “Swamp Lights”, “Tumbleweeds” enjoyed great success with the viewer. P. P. Gnedich’s literary and artistic essays on the history of art, published since 1877 in “Niva”, compiled the illustrated book “History of Art” , which we offer in a modern edition; a number of names and titles are reproduced from the original. This book, written in a lively and fascinating manner, using factual material and richly illustrated, provides public knowledge on the history of art, including the history of architecture, sculpture, painting, life, customs and clothing of all peoples since ancient times.