Wallace (1841-1919) was a Scottish public servant, writer, editor and foreign correspondent of The Times (London). He studied metaphysics and ethics at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow before attending the Ecole de Droit, Paris and applying himself to Roman law at the universities of Berlin and Heidelberg, graduating with a doctorate in law from the latter in 1867. He accepted a private invitation to visit Russia where he lived from 1870-75, becoming fascinated by the country's civilisation. Afer his return to England he published this work in two volumes in 1877, right before the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War. The book was a great success, going through several editions and being translated into many languages. It was due to its success that he was appointed as foreign correspondent to The Times, his first post being to St Petersburg in 1877-78. He later went on a mission to Egypt which resulted in another successful book and after travelling through the Middle East he was selected as the political officer of Tsar Nicholas II in his Indian Tour of 1890-91. In 1901 he acted as private secretary to the future King George V during an extensive world tour and was later attached to the Emperor of Russia during his visit to England in 1909. Reprinted from the 1905 revised edition.