"In studying the notebooks one feels like an eavesdropper on Dostoyevsky's artistic self-communings. . . . We may plainly observe Dostoyevsky's creative logic at work in selection and emphasis, his concern for technique and his struggle to make crystal-clear what is ambiguous in his characters. . . . a veritable storehouse of source material on nearly every aspect of the conception, planning, and writing of Crime and Punishment." ― The New York Times

This key to understanding Dostoyevsky's masterpiece and the author's creative intentions offers a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at the composition of Crime and Punishment, from its first inception to its conclusion. Dostoyevsky's notebooks chronicle the trials, mistakes, and uncertainties that hindered his progress. They also reveal insights into the workings of his imagination and significant details about the novel's ultimate content.

Professor Edward Wasiolek has supplemented Dostoyevsky's text with an introduction and a commentary summarizing the material in each section. In addition to facsimile pages from the notebooks, this volume offers interpretations of Dostoyevsky's schematic plans for major portions of the novel as well as his alternate versions of scenes and characters, his unused material, and his reflections on philosophical and religious ideas.