Giles Fletcher (1549?-1611). The history of Russia, or, The goverment [sic] of the Emperour of Muscovia: with manners & fashions of the people of that countrey London 1643. A511
This is the history of Russia before the founding of St. Petersburg ... Published originally as Of the Russe Common Wealth, 1591, this is the second edition of the first English book about Russia. Well more than a century before Sankt Pieter Burkh was a gleam in Peter's eye or Peter a gleam in his parents' eyes, Englishman Giles Fletcher was dispatched to Russia on a diplomatic mission to attempt to gain trade concessions for English merchants of the Muscovy Company. The indignities to which he was subjected by Russian authorities were detailed in his account written on the road home. Queen Elizabeth heard the story and registered a complaint upon which the merchants of the Company had the book suppressed, fearing the damage it could do to English/Russian trade relations. In some subsequent editions the offensive passages were removed.
http://spencer.lib.ku.edu/using-the-library/library-use-and-policies
Kansas Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Acceptable Use Policy