About the book: 2014 / What is greatness - a pattern or an accident? It is unlikely that this question can be answered unambiguously. But don't most great destinies take a random turn? Some meaningless meeting, a fleeting piece of luck, without which the great journey would have remained just a biography. And yet there are destinies for whom the path to greatness seems destined from birth. Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (1802-1855) is one of them. Of course, he had teachers, the great M.P. Lazarev, under whose command Nakhimov first went around the world and then fought heroically in the Battle of Navarino. But Nakhimov walked towards his glory, despite the gifts of fate and its blows. For example, when the same Lazarev lost interest in him and insisted on the appointment of another, albeit no less worthy candidate, Kornilov, to the post of chief of staff (and in fact, commander) of the Black Sea Fleet. Then Nakhimov not only stoically accepted this situation, but until his last minute he maintained sincere respect for the memory of Lazarev and Kornilov. Crimean War 1853-1856 was the last “noble” war in the history of mankind, the “war of gentlemen.” Firstly, because the enemies, although they remained enemies, respected each other. And secondly, it was a war of “ideal” commanders. Hierarchy, titles, past merits - all this meant nothing to Nakhimov when it came to business. And the admiral’s whole life’s work was the defense of the Fatherland... From his youth, studies in the Naval Corps, first voyages - to the brilliant victory at Sinop and the heroic defense of Sevastopol: the unique documents of P. S. Nakhimov himself tell about the long journey of the great naval commander. They are supplemented by memoirs of Pavel Stepanovich’s comrades, memoirs of contemporaries of the famous Russian admiral, fragments of the works of classics of military history - E. V. Tarle, A. M. Zayonchkovsky, M. I. Bogdanovich, A. A. Kersnovsky. Nakhimov was a fatalist. He always knew that his time would come. That, even if it is necessary to fight with a superior enemy fleet, he will fight and win. He knew that it was he who had to defend Sevastopol, to lead its defense, even without initially having the appropriate authority to do so. And when Kornilov died and the situation in Sevastopol became more and more difficult, “those around Nakhimov began to notice in him a firm, silent decision, the meaning of which was clear to them. Every month it became clearer to them that this man could not and did not want to survive Sevastopol.” And so it happened... This is the highest form of greatness of the commander, which cannot be explained... One can only bow before it... Electronic publication of materials on the life and work of P. S. Nakhimov includes the full text of the paper book and a selected part of illustrative documentary material. And for true connoisseurs of gift editions, we offer a classic book. Like all publications in the “Great Commanders” series, the book is provided with detailed historical and biographical comments; The text is accompanied by hundreds of illustrations from Russian and foreign periodicals of the described time, many of which the modern reader will become familiar with for the first time. Beautiful printing, original design, the best offset paper - all this makes the books of the “Great Commanders” gift series the best gift for a man for all occasions.