Today the chronicle is bound in ten tomes, which are stored in Russia’s State Historical Museum, the Library of the Academy of Sciences and National Library. Until recently, only a handful of historians had access to the original, although wealthy collectors willing to pay about $80,000 for a complete facsimile publication could read it in full.

The non-profit Society of Lovers of Ancient Literature is set to change this situation, making the chronicle freely available for everyone interested. They have already uploaded the first two tomes to their website and plan to eventually have the complete archive online. A printed reproduction is also being considered.

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The publication will be titled “Textbook of Life for Tsar Children”, according to Sterligov.

“The book was commissioned by Ivan IV for his children; that is why it is so rich in illustrations. It is an interesting reading for kids, because illustration occasionally speaks more than the text, and are very colorful too,” he said.

Since the chronicle was meant for just two children, it is also the most unbiased Russian historical source of the time, the philanthropist believes. A father had no reason to lie to the future rulers of the land.

The society plans to have the chronicle translated into foreign languages and presented to other countries as a gift. The notable exception will be those parts of the book which cite Biblical verses. Translating them would be wrong for a believer, Sterligov explained.