Book excerpt: This volume draws together and generalises new geological, geochronological, petrological and geophysical material for the two fundamental continental geostructures within the USSR - ancient cratons and Phanerozoic fold belts. It provides a complete Precambrian history for each tectonic province or "geoblock", with emphasis on the early Precambrian as opposed to the late. The characteristics of lithological-structural complexes and their correlations are presented in detail. Analysis of the sedimentary, magmatic and metamorphic processes is provided, paying special attention to the sequence of their evolution and isotopic data. This work will be of interest to geologists concerned with the problems of structure and evolution of the Precambrian lithology.