This is the first publication of the complete documents containing the testimony of the peasant leader E.I. Pugachev (1742-1775). The uprising took place in 1773-1775 during the reign of Catherine the Great, spread over large territories and proved hard to suppress. The author spent many years in the study of the actual documents of the event and of Pushkin"s two major works which reflected this historic episode, "the Captain"s daughter" and "The history of Pugachev"s rebellion", and became a well-known authority on the event. Supplements include commentaries, name index.