The book includes descriptions of Muscovy made by foreigners who, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, ended up on Russian soil in different ways. Some of them arrived of their own free will - in search of wealth, on trade matters or on diplomatic missions, others were captured as prisoners, but managed to get into Russian service and made a fast career. Some settled in Russia for a long time, while others’ stay was short. Among them are the British - the navigator Richard Chancellor and the diplomat Giles Fletcher, representatives of the noble Livonian families - the royal negotiators Johann Taube and Elert Kruse, the servant and translator of Ivan the Terrible's personal physician, the German Albert Schlichting, and another German - the adventurer Heinrich Staden, who became the royal guardsman. Their descriptions are biased, sometimes one-sided, but together they constitute a most valuable source of information about Russian life in the second half of the 16th century. Each certificate is preceded by a preface written for its first edition in Russian.