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The Foreword the book "Statistical Publications in the USSR" (M.: "Statistics" Publishing House, 1975) 1 The bibliographic indexes act as the peculiar guidebook in this or that field of knowledge. Though the bibliographic information is not unique and, maybe, not most accessible path of knowledge, but always important and one from most authentic. The more complicated the past is, the more complete the information is and the greater its bibliographic study is. Statistical publications are an important and independent direction in activity of CSB of the USSR and of its local bodies. They render essential influence to all directions of development of the Soviet statistics, they are not only its final product, but also high-power source of further perfecting. So quite natural that large attention, which was given and is given to them in our country at all stages of development of statistics. The comprehensive application of materials of the statistical publications in management and planning of national economy is remarkable. I t is well-known that V. I . Lenin widely used statistical data in his activity. The all-national, continuously growing interest, which is exhibited to economic figure in our country, is quite natural. In the USSR a great number of statistical works was issued. The leading part among them under the right belongs to the works of bodies of state statistics, and also statistical publications of bodies of departmental statistics, especially those, which reporting is developed separately and in a ready kind is transmitted into CSB of the USSR. Monographic works of scientific collectives and scientists also have large significance statistical publications containing an actual numerical material, developed on the basis of the broad scientific programs and selective inspections. The statistical publications, issued in the USSR, are characterized by variety because of large number of organizations, which attended to their issuing, their territorial distribution and departmental membership, and also differ in program construction, in particular under the form of issuing and periodicity. In these conditions the serious knowledge of the subject of researches and a hard work are necessary to collect these publications together and not only consider them as the total of a history, but also make the statistical materials a property of modern practice, deliver them on service to the future. Just such complicated and, doubtlessly, useful work E. A . Mashikhin and V. M . Simtchera have done, by collecting the official publications of bodies of state statistics of the USSR and the most important departmental statistical publications for the period of 1918-1972 in one book and properly systemized and studied them. 2 The bibliographical material with appropriate comments is included into current publication. So, in some way the previous work is the first issuing of the current one. That was the reason for publishing of this foreword. Central Statistical Board. 2 1 16