The fundamental work of the outstanding Russian historian Sergey Mikhailovich Solovyov is rightly considered one of the main achievements of Russian historical scholarship of the 19th century. S. M. Solovyov is “the first among equals” among a constellation of brilliant Russian historians, including N. Karamzin, V. Klyuchevsky, N. Kostomarov, A. Presnyakov, T. Granovsky, S. Platonov, and many others.
The twenty-first volume of the large-scale 29-volume edition is devoted to the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and examines the events of 1740–1744.