This book was purchased in 2009 for the museum’s collection of “Archives and Manuscripts” related to the publication of “Sakhalin Island”. “Russkaya Mysl” (“Russian Thought”) was a scientific, literary, and political journal that was published on a monthly basis in Moscow between 1880 and 1918. It was founded by Vukol Lavrov, a Russian journalist, publisher, and translator.

The “Russian Thought” magazine published the first chapters of Anton Chekhov’s book about Sakhalin. Chekhov’s work helped to raise awareness of the history of the prison colony among Russian readers. The essays were based on the writer’s impressions from his trip to Sakhalin and meetings with the locals, as well as the census, observations of the convicts’ life, and detailed statistics.

The chapters of “Sakhalin Island” were published in “Russian Thought” in the same order and under the same titles as they would later be included in a separate book. The chapters were signed “Anton Chekhov” and were accompanied by a comment at the end of each chapter, “To be continued”. While preparing the text for a separate edition, Chekhov got rid of subjective judgment. The chapters published in “Russian Thought” included many interesting details and descriptions of emotional struggles, which the writer later omitted.