Universal History of Arts

By today, there are many publications on the history of arts. But at the end of the 19th century, art critic and writer P. P. Gnedich was the first in his homeland to undertake the task of compiling and publishing such a work. The «Universal History of Arts» was read by contemporaries, criticized, and supplemented by followers. The illustrations and design elements (which we have mostly managed to reproduce) will not leave the modern reader indifferent. Unfortunately, there are no peaceful times in history; however, no matter what troubles us today, the eternal values of world culture, standing above political and military battles, prefer silence and concentration.
As soon as the modern reader finds a little time to look at the century-long path that art has taken, he will perhaps agree, like the author of this book, that only the triumph of beauty can change the world for the better.