M. "Prosveshchenie". 1974. 335 pp. Circulation of 250,000 copies. Price 1 rub. 28 kopecks. In Soviet historiography and art criticism, there are many works devoted to the problems of ancient Russian art1 . Nevertheless, L. D. Lyubimov's book is probably destined to take its special place in this representative list. Drawing on the research achievements of Russian pre-revolutionary and Soviet historiography and art criticism, L. D. Lyubimov created a book that is distinguished by the breadth of chronological coverage (from the first centuries AD to the end of the XVII century), the scale of the problems posed, and the vividness and imagery of the presentation. The works of researchers of the art of Ancient Russia, as a rule, are characterized not only by great scientific power, but also by high literary skill, great enthusiasm for their subject. It seems that L. D. Lyubimov felt the influence of these works to a considerable extent. It is no accident that throughout the book he lavishes quotes from his predecessors. And at the same time, he managed not only to create an independent historical and art history study, but also to convey to the reader his love for the art of Ancient Russia. L. D. Lyubimov shows ancient Russian art-architecture, painting, art crafts, decorative and applied arts - against a broad historical background, in close connection with world artistic processes, in continuous development and improvement, in a difficult and contradictory movement caused by socio-economic, political, and religious factors. This comprehensive approach determines the abundance of factual material included in the book, 1 See: I. E. Grabar. Istoriya russkogo iskusstva [History of Russian Art], Vol. 1, Moscow, 1953. O drevnerusskom iskusstvo [On Ancient Russian Art], Moscow, 1966; B. A. Rybakov. The art of the ancient Slavs. "History of Russian Art", Vol. I. Moscow, 1953; N. N. Voronin. Drevnerusskoe iskusstvo [Old Russian Art], Moscow, 1962. Vladimir, Bogolyubov, Suzdal, ... Read more