About the book: 2014 / The book by a famous sociologist presents an analysis of Russian literature of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, considered as a social institution: writers, publishing and book trade, magazines and newspapers, libraries, reading, taken in their interrelation and interaction. Particular attention is paid to writer's fees, the popularity of specific writers, the “rooting” of the detective story in Russia, popular literature, and the formation of a system of literary awards.