"On the evolution of language. First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for 1879-80. Government Publishing House, Washington, 1881, pages 1-16" is an interesting and important work by the scientist John Wesley Powell. In the report, the author examines the evolution of language and draws attention to its importance in the development of society and culture. Having analyzed some aspects of the language through the prism of ethnography, Powell makes an attempt to reveal and explain the main laws of its development. This book will help the reader to better understand the importance of language as a means of communication and preservation of cultural heritage.