The novel “The Dream of the Red Chamber”, first published in its entirety in 1791, is not only included in the golden treasury of Chinese classical literature (along with “The Three Kingdoms”, “The Backwaters” and “Journey to the West”), but also because of its writing style and the principle of plot construction, it is very close to the modern novel and, perhaps, therefore enjoys special sympathy among readers. The book tells the story of the heyday and ruin of a large rich family, which thoughtlessly squandered its wealth, which brought upon it many troubles and hardships. The novel’s elegant style, fantastic events, love adventures and detailed descriptions of everyday life brought widespread popularity to the novel. In this edition, “Dream in the Red Chamber” is printed from a two-volume edition of 1958, however, translations of numerous poems that form an important part of the novel are printed from the 1997 edition, for which translator Lev Nikolaevich Menshikov revised and corrected his texts. The novel is accompanied by original illustrations by Chinese artists. The first volume includes an introductory article by L. N. Menshikov and the first sixty chapters of the novel.