This book will not be lost in the flow of "Stalinians," because it is special. Jan Plumper looked into the "kitchen" of Soviet propaganda, where its main product was being prepared - the myth of the "beloved leader." Millions of Soviet people never saw Stalin live, but they were sure that they "saw" him. About how and by whom this great illusion was created, writes Jan Plumper. Jan Plumper is a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute, Berlin.