The diary belonged to the family of Anton Chekhov’s younger brother, but its exact owner is unknown. The notebook has a green cover with decorative patterns featuring flowers and leaves. It contains 32 sheets, all written in small handwriting and dated from January to March 1904. The last pages of the notebook have been torn out.

The title page features a dedicatory inscription,

At the bottom, there is an autograph, presumably of Alexander Verkhovsky. The notes include quotes by famous writers, as well as the owner’s philosophical musings, “A human being is an animal that has always thought ‘I am a king, and I am a slave.’ It is a maxim that seems self-contradictory at first sight”; “There is a terrible racial struggle coming onto the scene.”

The use of diaries as a means of self-expression can be traced back to the 10th century. Initially, diaries were texts of various genres, mostly travelogs and autobiographical notes. Diaries as memoirs that reveal the owner’s personality appeared during the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation when religion was increasingly imposing introspection and self-discipline. The first known Russian diaries date back to the late 17th century.

The style of European diaries was inspired by books. The title page was decorated with vignettes, the name, autograph, title, and date. Sometimes entries began with book-style titles such as “Chapter I”, and the pages were numbered.