The two-volume Russian-language encyclopedia "The Ukrainian People in Their Past and Present" is one of the first Russian publications to synthesize knowledge of Ukrainian studies. The book is devoted to a comprehensive study of the history, ethnography, geography and anthropology of the Ukrainian people. Outstanding Ukrainian and Russian scientists worked on the encyclopedia, the initiator of the publication was M. S. Grushevsky. World War I prevented the appearance of the next two volumes. The first volume of the publication consists entirely of the works of an outstanding Ukrainian historian, political and public figure, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian national movement, who served as chairman of the Ukrainian Central Council, M. S. Grushevsky. In the first part of the book, the topic of the development of Ukrainian studies in the 19th century is considered, in the second the author goes directly to the description of the history of Ukraine.