Serhii Plokhy tells the fascinating story of The History of the Rus', one of the most influential historical texts of the modern era. In so doing he brilliantly illuminates the relationship between history, myth, empire and nationhood from Napoleonic times to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Introduction; Part I. The Mystery: 1. A call for freedom; 2. The Cossack annals; 3. The birth of the myth; Part II. On a Cold Trail: 4. A noble heart; 5. The Cossack prince; 6. The Kyiv manuscript; Part III. Pieces of a Puzzle: 7. A matter of time; 8. Uncovering the motive; 9. How did he do it?; 10. The Cossack treasure; Part IV. Unusual Suspects: 11. People and places; 12. The Cossack aristocrats; 13. The liberated gentry; 14. A history teacher; Part V. A Family Circle: 15. A missing name; 16. Family matters; 17. The rivals; Epilogue; Appendix: Cossack family networks.

'This book succeeds admirably on many levels. It is a fresh and subtle reflection on nations and nationalism, a scrupulously detailed piece of archival investigation, and - not least - a beautifully paced academic 'whodunit?'. Significant scholarship is rarely so engaging.' Simon Franklin, University of Cambridge'... delightful ... [The] Cossack Myth is a rich and erudite monograph disguised as a detective story. Serhii Plokhy simultaneously crafts a social history of early-nineteenth-century Cossack noble clans, a history of modern Ukrainian history writing, and a demonstration of how national discourses and identities are born in and shaped by empire, even to the present day.' Nancy S. Kollmann, William H. Bonsall Professor in History, Stanford University'With its impressive source base, deep analysis, and thoughtful integration into comparative studies of empire, this book offers valuable insights for historians of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, as well as scholars interested in Ukrainian history and culture, eastern European historiography and comparative studies of empire.' Rebecca Mitchell, Canadian Journal of History'Serhii Plohky has written one of the most important and captivating monographs on modern Ukrainian history and the Ukrainian-Russian relationship to come out in recent years. For the general reader, the tome is cast as a fascinating search for clues that begins with numerous theories on the authorship, time of composition and purpose of the 'History' before Plohky elegantly lays out his own theories by taking the reader through the steps by which he came to his views.' Frank Sysyn, The Russian Review