The ©rst chapter of this catalogue of an exhibition at the Menshikov Palace branch of the Hermitage Museum gives Menshikov his due for turning a marshy delta won from the Swedes into a new capital. After being given the task by Peter the Great, Menshikov commandeered workers, carpenters, and masons from all over Russia, scheduling seven-day work weeks, and approving architects© plans that would determine the city©s layout to this day. Other chapters describe Menshikov©s palace as the seat of state in St. Petersburg©s ©rst years as capital, and outline the long process of restoration as the building©s importance as one of the few extant buildings of the period was gradually realized. -- Summary written by John W. Emerich, Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.