Leon Battista Alberti's four books “On the Family” are considered a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance literature and a kind of manifesto of humanistic culture. This is one of the earliest and best examples of Renaissance dialogue from the 15th century. Forgotten for some time, they were first published in Italy only in the mid-19th century. and have gained great popularity both among scientists and as a textbook work for schools, illustrating Renaissance ideas about family, housekeeping, raising children, the principles of sociality (friendship), and the competition of valor and fate. In Russia, L. B. Alberti is well known and has been studied for a long time: his fundamental work “On Architecture” and other Latin works on art have been translated. The complete translation of “Books about the Family” into Russian is published for the first time.