The white elephant of Karl the Great. Unsuitable stories

In 2020, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Soviet and Russian historian and writer, the famous popularizer of French history Anatoly Petrovich Lewandovsky, turned 100. In the publishing house "Nigma" comes out a collection of his essays" White Elephant Charles the Great. Unsuitable stories. " The book covers a significant period of the history of France - from the early Middle Ages to the Napoleonic Wars. Anatoly Petrovich devoted most of his creative and academic paths to this historical segment.
As a major scientist, professor, teacher, Anatoly Lewandovsky in his books paid attention not only to the reliability of historical material, but also by the fascination of his presentation. Based on the "Private History", he knew how to develop her "to global sizes". A special place in his work was occupied by such fascinating topics as the empire of Charles the Great and the Great French Revolution of the late XVIII century.
The collection proposed to the reader includes eight essays dedicated to the history of France and covering a wide range of time - from the 9th to the 18th century. Unusual stories are devoted to different aspects of life. But all of them are united by one circumstance - all these are unlucky stories that carry an element of a detective or a plexus of secrets and riddles that the author tries to unravel. The reader learns how the modest relationship of Charles the Great has influenced the international relations of the 9th century to make a living elephant and who was the prototype of the blue beard from the tale of Charles Perrault? Who was the mysterious prisoner of the Bastille, whose face was hiding the mask? Was the famous abduction of the necklace of Queen Maria Antoinette by a common crime or part of a political intrigue?
The book is illustrated by the works of the wonderful artist Sergei Lyubaev. The illustrations are based on silhouette images, laconic figures that emphasize the expressiveness of the characters.
Sergey Viktorovich was familiar with the author and his family. He worked on the book in close interaction with his son Anatoly Lewandovsky, historian Andrei Lewandovsky