In 1896, I. A. Feferboim’s book, *Southern Russia: A Travel Guide, Reference Book, and Calendar*, was published.

The publication included detailed reference information about Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Rostov-on-Don, Poltava, Yekaterinoslav, Elisavetgrad, Chișinău, and, for some reason, Tula. At the very beginning of the preface, I. A. Feferboim wrote, “We have expended a great deal of effort and time collecting and organizing the information included in our travel guide…”

For this reason, the descriptions provided by the book’s authors for each of the cities listed above are particularly interesting.

Our favorite city received the highest praise in the book.

Kharkiv is undoubtedly one of the finest Russian provincial cities, and its urban development continues to grow each year to the best of its ability and within its means…

As for Kyiv, it apparently didn’t quite measure up to Kharkiv, but it wasn’t far behind either.

We won’t remind you that Kyiv is famous for its picturesque location and is on par with the best provincial cities in terms of urban development…