Pavel Petrovich Bazhov (1879–1950) was a Russian writer and author of the famous book of Ural tales, The Malachite Box, which brought the legends and traditions of his native land to the world. Bazhov was born into a mining foreman's family in a small Ural town. He spent his childhood among miners and prospectors who searched for gold in the Ural Mountains and mined malachite and mica. After graduating from seminary, Bazhov taught Russian, worked as a journalist, traveled extensively throughout the Urals, and collected folklore. The first edition of The Malachite Box was published in 1939. Bazhov was 60 years old by this time. His work on the book did not end there. Until the end of his days, the writer added new tales to his magic box, combining folk poetry and wisdom with the subtle craftsmanship of a great artist.