Individual stories and essays by Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev from the series "Notes of a Hunter" were published in the journal Sovremennik from the beginning of 1847 to the end of 1851. In 1852 they were published as a separate publication. The book brought Turgenev success, critical acclaim and confidence in his own literary vocation. Later, the Hunter's Notes were called the most significant "document" about the life of a Russian village in the mid-19th century. The book is decorated with 28 illustrations by Pyotr Petrovich Sokolov (1821-1899), 34 drawings by Elizaveta Merkurievna Boehm (1843-1914) and a drawing made by I. S. Turgenev himself.