In 1698, in Paris, the book publisher Pierre Auboin published a small book, only 12 parts of a sheet. Its full title read: “Curious and new news about Muscovy, containing: The current state of this state. Muscovite expeditions to Crimea in 1689. Causes of the latest turmoil. Their morals and religion. A story about Spafari's journey to China by land." The author's name, de la Neuville, not listed on the cover, was shown at the end of the Homage to Louis XIV, which opened the book. The fate of the book turned out to be bizarre. Less than fifteen years had passed since its publication when it was declared an unfair compilation, and its author was identified with a famous literary hoaxer. The weight of suspicion weighed heavily over the Notes on Muscovy for a long time. Only in our century have historians been able to show that Neville is a real historical figure, and “Notes on Muscovy” is the result of his trip to Russia.