To our creative cooperation with the father in 1981 30 years were executed. With satisfaction and grief I think of the past. With satisfaction — because helped the father to make the inquiry «Known Russian seafarers» (in the collection «Russian seafarers». М, 1953), has written with it in the co-authorship a number of heads «Sketches on stories of geographical opening» (1 and 2 editions), and also «History of opening and research of Europe» (1970). For this big term it, the skilled and sensitive instructor alien even to thought to "beat" misses, has taught much me. With grief — because in 1976 of the father not became … and still ours work is joint »proceeded. Collecting materials for reprinting« Sketches … », — both of us have been assured that it happens sooner or later, — I, as before, argued and agreed with it, rejoiced to finds and internally listened to its voice …
Offered the reader «Sketches …» is the third edition which is planned for carrying out in 1982-1986 in five volumes. From enormous quantity of materials about swimmings and travel the data are selected, allowing to state full enough objective history of acquaintance with continents and oceans of the Earth. The newest data not only a historical science, but also archaeological opening and successes of linguistics is involved. These scientific achievements compel to reconsider some former representations about a priority of one people or in a new fashion to present scope of opening of others.
Till now the term «geographical opening» is differently interpreted by istoriko-geographers. In БСЭ it is formulated as a finding of new geographical objects (territorial opening) or geographical laws (opening in system of geographical sciences). In our opinion, «geographical opening» is the first historically proved visiting, intended or casual, representatives of the people knowing the letter (except рисуночного), unknown to them earlier or parts of oceans known only on hearings, the seas, gulfs and passages, continents and their parts, islands, internal waters (the rivers and lakes), any raised and low sites of a land not only uninhabited, but also the manned earths with even unwritten population.
The purpose of the offered edition — to show, how has developed as a result of thousand travel, since an antiquity and up to now, modern representation about a world physical map i.e. as have been established:
Presence of the uniform World ocean and the approximate sizes of each of four oceans;
Contours of continents, and, hence, both outlines of peninsulas and coastal lines Mediterranean and the seas;
The approximate sizes of each continent — by means of circular swimmings or crossings of continents divergently;
The basic lines of a relief, sufficient surfaces for the elementary characteristic of each continental file: the major mountain ridges, uplands and lowlands;
The basic lines of a hydrographic network of continents; a direction of a current and pools of the major rivers, a geographical position of lakes — their coastal lines;
Geographical position of the archipelagoes entering into them of considerable groups and large islands, and also the most interesting single islands.
Besides, in «Sketches …» the characteristic of the basic investigation phases of Arctic regions and Antarctic, including achievement of Northern and southern poles is given. Differently, in work only territorial opening connected with creation and specification of a card of the Earth within the limits of a written history of the people will be shined.
«Sketches …» are intended first of all for teachers, but they can be useful and to the experts who are engaged in geography and history, and for many other readers.
For the first volume shining geographical achievements of the people of the ancient world and the Middle Ages, heads are anew written: «the People — founders of the most ancient civilizations of the Near East» (гл. 1), «the People of the Western Asia (from хеттов to Persians)» (гл. 2), «the Ancient people of Southern Asia» (гл. 4), «the Ancient people of East Asia» (гл. 9, except for I of section), «Opening of the people of the Central, East and Southern Asia» (гл. 10, except I of section). Together with the father with my latest additions heads are anew written: «Phoenicians and Carthaginians» (гл. 3), «Opening of the ancient people of Southern Europe» (гл. 5), «Geographical achievements of Romans in the Western Europe» (гл. 6), «Romans in the Central Europe, Asia and Africa» (гл. 7), «Pioneers and researchers of Atlantic» (гл. 11), «Europe in VII–XV centuries» (гл. 14).
In a number of heads following sections are anew written: in гл. 5 — «Opening ancient иберов","Etruski: opening of the Apennines and the Alpes","Greeks in Northern and the Western Africa","Gerodot about Northeast Africa»; in гл. 11 — «the First research of Ireland»; in гл. 12 — «Normans on Baltic sea and opening of Baltic»; in гл. 13 — «Masudi also is scarlet-garnati about the Eastern Europe","Arabs in Asia","Arabs in the Western and Equatorial Africa","Arabs at coast of Southern Africa and on Madagascar","Arabs on Philippines","Ibn Madzhid and лоции Indian ocean»; in гл. 14 — «Continuation of opening of the Central Europe»; in гл. 15 — earth Grumant "Opening" "," Russian land surveyors of XV century "," Stefan Perm — the first researcher of the country коми ». Some additions and changes are made by me also in chapters 8, 12, 14, 16 and 17.
In the second volume devoted to great geographical opening from the end of XV century to the middle of XVII century, new materials about Columbus's "contenders", about opening of Portugueses at coast of the South America, East Africa and islands of Indonesia, in particular, will be stated, works of Arabs in the North Africa and in pool of Indian ocean are shined, achievements of the European land surveyors and Russian землепроходцев and opening Dutch мореходов will be described.
In the third volume containing the characteristic of opening and researches of new time (middle XVII–XVIII centuries), will be cited the new data about researches of Russian in the Eastern Europe, West Europeans in the center and in the west of continent, works of pioneers of scientific studying of India, Philippines, Japan and Sakhalin are described.
