Russkaia Istoricheskaia Biblioteka

(RIB; Russian Historical Library), a series of collections of documentary sources and texts published by the Commission for the Publication of Early Texts in the years 1872–1927. It included primarily sources from the 14th through 17th centuries. Published in the 39 volumes are documents relating to Russia’s domestic and foreign policies, the Proceedings of the Bureau of Secret Affairs (vols. 21, 22, 23, 38), documents from church and monasterial archives (vols. 5, 12, 14, 25, 37), documents from the Litovskaia Metrika (vols. 20, 27, 30, 33), pistsovye knigi (compendiums of documents on economic matters), and fragments of chronicles. The series also included stories and legends about the Time of Troubles (vol. 13) and works of A. M. Kurbskii (vol. 31) and Avvakum (vol. 39).

Preparation and editing of the materials was carried out by such prominent Russian historians and scholars of early texts as Ia. L. Barskov, A. P. Barsukov, S. A. Belokurov, I. A. Bych-kov, S. B. Veselovskii, V. G. Druzhinin, A. S. Lappo-Danilev-skii, L. N. Maikov, and S. F. Platonov. The RIB is one of the major series of documentary publications in the Russian study of early texts.