"History of the Rus" in the hierarchy of texts of the culture of the Ukrainian people stands next to "The Tale of the Early Years" and "The Word about the Igor Regiment". First published in Russian in 1846 in Moscow, this book by an unknown author tells about the historical development of Ukraine from ancient times to the second half of the 18th century. For a long time, she was considered seditious, as she undeniably asserted the original path of development and affirmation of Ukrainians as a separate people with their own language, history, and traditions. Spreading in the lists, this work, which was called the "poem of the free people", was known to Pushkin, Gogol, Ryleev, Maksymovich, and later - to Shevchenko, Kostomarov. It was first published in Ukrainian in 1956 in New York, and in 1991 in Kyiv, "History of the Rus" saw the light of day in a Ukrainian translation by Ivan Drach, who wrote in the preface: "This book is for us to be afraid. It always comes to Ukrainians at crucial times. Needless to say, now is the time."