Ripellino's book is not a guidebook, but an essay-poem dedicated to a great and beautiful city. Together with the author, we wander through the dark labyrinths of Prague and through the pages of books of Czech- and German-speaking writers and poets, looking into the houses of the Prague ghetto and Golden Street, into taverns and pubs, into the favorite hot spots of Jaroslav Hasek. On its streets we meet characters from the works of Apollinaire and Vitezslav Nezval, salamanders by Karel Capek, court alchemists and astrologers from the time of Rudolf II, and the saints of Charles Bridge. The images of Meyrink and Kafka, the story of the Golem and other legends serve the author not only to recreate the enchanting atmosphere of the “city on the Vltava”, but also to reflect on the recent history of Prague, which the author happened to witness.