The British links with St Petersburg date back to the very year of its foundation and have continued almost unbroken to the present day. Anthony Cross narrates the story of this vibrant and tragic city through the first-hand accounts of its British residents and visitors. A unique anthology of St Petersburg's culture, politics, architecture, commerce, recreation and everyday life, this book includes extracts by Daniel Defoe, Lewis Carroll, W. Somerset Maughan, H.G. Wells, Isaiah Berlin, J.B. Priestley and Alan Sillitoe.