The idea of ​ ​ this book is to collect the most significant Russian historical and ethnographic essays on the life and culture of the peoples and nationalities of the Russian Empire in order to show their interconnections in the course of history, to reveal the originality of each of the ethnic groups. The basis of the book is essays from the 22 volume "Great Encyclopedia" edited by S.N. Yuzhakov, which, unlike the more voluminous "Encyclopedic Dictionary" by Brockhaus and Efron, has never been reprinted. Articles devoted to the life and life of the peoples of the Russian Empire belong to the pen of the best scientists of their time.