"Great Soviet Encyclopedia" is a large general popular science encyclopedia published in the USSR in 1926-1990. At one time, it was the oldest and most authoritative Soviet encyclopedia in the world, which included a complete collection of knowledge in all fields of science, technology, culture, history, etc. The encyclopedia contained thousands of articles written by leading specialists in various fields of science and art. "The Great Soviet Encyclopedia" was organized and published by the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, and its first editor was the outstanding Ukrainian scientist Mykhailo Pavliv. Each volume of the encyclopedia was a large-scale publication with many illustrations, diagrams, maps and tables that expanded the reader's understanding of the topic discussed. Today, the "Great Soviet Encyclopedia" is considered a valuable source of knowledge about the past and the state of science in the last century. This encyclopedia became a symbol of the general intellectual and cultural heritage of the Soviet period and remains an important document for studying the history and culture of the former USSR.