This book is by the well known Russian historian Sigurd Shmidt. The articles written within the last 30 years are divided into four chapters. The first covers methodological issues of history. Chapter 2 contains his works on source studies and historiography. The third chapter includes his reviews and polemics with works of other famous N.M. Karamzin, V.O. Kliuchevskii, E.I. Zabelin. In the last chapter, there are historiographical portraits of other contemporary scholars. Name index.