“Along the Tundra, by Railroad” is a continuation of the series of books by Alexander Sidorov about thieves, prisoners and camp songs (“Song about my Murka”, “Music is playing on Moldavanka” and “I remember that Vanino port”), which has already gain popularity not only among fans of the genre. Indeed, in his essays, the author goes far beyond the “information field” associated directly with songs, and provides extensive and interesting information about traditions, life, language, morals, reflected in “grassroots folklore”, and often in the history and culture of the entire our country. Thus, the book gives a detailed history of escapes from places of detention - from pre-revolutionary hard labor to the Gulag; the features of the structure of prisons in Tsarist and Soviet Russia are described; The details of the “thieves’ fashion”, which also influenced the “civilian” fashion, are analyzed in detail. Deciphering the expression “blackamoor to rule” will connect the seemingly incompatible criminal “specialties” of a counterfeiter and a card sharper, and with the cute word “bear cub” not only the son or daughter of a bear will become associated, but also a massive bank safe...