Moscow, Nauka Publ. 1983. 432 p. The publication of the peer-reviewed work1 is important both for historical science in general and for the study of the early stages of the history of human society in particular. In the world, including domestic literature, there are no generalizing works of this kind. The authors faced difficult and diverse tasks, the solution of which is complicated by the lack of actual data. It seems that the authors have successfully implemented their plan. The sources currently available to scientists are carefully systematized and subjected to a thorough analysis in the book. From the standpoint of modern ideas about primitiveness, it examines the theoretical views of Soviet and foreign researchers that have developed in science. The authors draw a broad and reliable picture of the emergence of humanity and its social institutions. One of the advantages of the monograph is the desire of its authors not to smooth out the controversial nature of many problems of primitive history. This encourages further theoretical research, and it is natural that in a work of this kind, many thoughts and propositions are expressed in a hypothetical plan, which allows for other solutions to the problems posed. The authors focus on four cardinal problems: source studies, historiography, the emergence and evolution of man in the light of anthropological data, the background and formation of human society. The introduction (authored by A. I. Pershits) examines the main aspects of these problems, the nature and degree of their elaboration, points out controversial issues, and defines the methodological positions of Soviet historians of primitive society. It also addresses an important question about the name of the subject "primitive history" and the designation of the formation studied by it (p. 11). We think that the term "history of primitive society" (p.12) chosen by the author from a number of others is indeed the most successful. A number of sections of the ... Read more