The work translated here is "Ocherki po etnografii aleutov (konets XVIII-pervaia polovina XIX v.)" (Leningrad: Nauka, 1975), one of Roza G. Liapunova's two monographs on the Aleuts of Alaska. Liapunova discusses the archaeology of Aleut origins, Aleut life as documented in early historical sources, and Aleut material culture based on historical sources and in museum collections. "Essays" remains a valuable synthesis of English- and Russian-language sources on these topics. It also showcases the wide-ranging interests and broad expertise of a Soviet scholar whose work deserves to be read by an English-speaking audience. The volume includes a brief biography and bibliography of selected works of the author and an index.