The book “The Caucasus: Land and Blood” is only the beginning of a detailed and conceptual history of Russia’s longest and least known war. Each chapter of the book analyzes a certain significant problem of the tragic conflict between Russia and the Caucasus, outlines a fundamentally important period or key episode of the war, talks about those who laid the foundations for the strategy and tactics of the Russian army during the siege of this “huge fortress,” as General Ermolov called the Caucasus. Purpose of the book - explain the dramatic situation of both Russia and the mountain peoples, the extreme complexity of the historical situation in which the warring parties found themselves, identify the fatal miscalculations of the imperial government, for which the soldiers and officers of the Caucasian Corps paid with blood, as well as show the tragedy of the mountain people. Most chapters are based on archival materials. The author and the publishing house thank the staff of the Russian State Historical Archive, the Russian State Military Historical Archive, and the Russian State Naval Archive for their assistance. The collection of material for the book took place within the framework of a project supported by the MacArthur International Charitable Foundation. The appendix contains the memoirs of the participant bloody Dargin expedition of 1845, found and prepared by G. Lisitsyna, and the diary of an officer of the Caucasian Corps, prepared by I. Grozova. On the cover: The battle between Russian troops and Circassians at Akhatka on May 8, 1841. Watercolor by G. G. Gagarin.