This book examines the history of the Russian peoples from the time of the first inhabitants of "Old Russia", or "Rus", up to the present day.

Robin Milner-Gulland is Professor of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Sussex. His previous works include Cultural Atlas of Russia (1985), An Introduction to Russian Art and Architecture with J. E. Bowlt, (1980), Russian Writing Today edited with M. Durhirst, (1974), as well as many translations and articles on literary and artistic topics.