D. A. Skalon (editor)

A Brief Historical Review of the Imperial Main Headquarters. The Reign of Emperor Alexander II. 1855–1881."

Chief editor: Lieutenant General D. A. Skalon.

Compiled by: V. V. Kvadri and M. K. Sokolovsky.

St. Petersburg, 1902.

Note: "Instead of a manuscript."

This edition constitutes an issue of the "Brief Historical Review of the Imperial Main Headquarters," dedicated to the period of the reign of Emperor Alexander II (1855–1881). The Imperial Main Headquarters was the supreme body of military administration, responsible for matters of quartering, and subsequently for the entire economic affairs of the military department. The essay covers the organization, activities, and personnel of this institution in the era of the great reforms.

The book was prepared under the guidance of Lieutenant General D. A. Skalon (1840–1919), a military historian and specialist in the history of the Russian army. The compilers were V. V. Kvadri and M. K. Sokolovsky.

The uniqueness of this edition lies in the fact that it was issued in a limited print run with the label "Instead of a manuscript" and was intended for official use within the military department, which makes it a rare and low-circulation monument of military-historical thought of the early 20th century.

From a military standpoint, this edition represents a unique source on the history of troop command and the organization of the imperial retinue during the era of Alexander II's reforms — a period when the Military Field Chancellery and the Imperial Main Headquarters underwent significant structural changes. The historical rarity of this book is due to its departmental nature: it was issued "instead of a manuscript" by order of the Commander of the Imperial Main Headquarters in a limited print run and was not available for public sale, which makes it not merely a bibliophilic rarity, but a most valuable source for reconstructing the daily activities and staffing of the supreme body of military administration of the Russian Empire.