Journey into the World of Travelogue, or Representations of Space in Russia and England of the 16th–19th Centuries. Review of: Shpak, G. V. (2021). Izobretaia prostranstvo. Rossiia i Angliia XVI–XIX vekov v puteshestviiakh, travelogakh, kartakh [Inventing Space. Russia and England of the 16th–19th Centuries in Travel, Travelogues, and Maps]. Ekaterinburg: Ural University Press. 252 p.: ill.

The review of G. V. Shpak’s book Inventing Space. Russia and England of the 16th–­19th Centuries in Journeys, Travelogues, and Maps shows that the concept and research strategies used in the book make it possible not only to take a fresh look at travelogues as a historical source, but also to offer new ways to study the spatial dimensions of history. Also, the are a convenient analytical tool for comparing the intellectual and socio-cultural characteristics of Russia and England in Modern times. The natural science picture of the world becomes the frame for the reception and representation of space, and the strategies of description are associated with the goal-setting of the authors of narratives: overcoming, mastering, studying, understanding. By comparing the numerous and diverse British and Russian travelogues from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, the author of the reviewed book presents a more comprehensive picture of the ideas about space in Russia and England than the traditional ideas about the similarities and differences between the two countries.