At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Department of General Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs began preparations for the publication of the book "Provinces of the Russian Empire (History and Leaders)," timed to coincide with its publication on the 100th anniversary of the ministry. For some reason, the preparation of the book was not completed. Only an unfinished proof copy with numerous passes has been preserved, which is currently in the library of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. A lot of time passed, and in 2002, during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the ministry, it was decided to resume work on the directory, correcting the inaccuracies and filling in the gaps that existed there.