This book, edited by two eminent historians of science, is a comprehensive collection of the seminal papers from the last 60 years of research on planetary cosmogony by Soviet scientists. The book opens with two introductory essays by the editors describing the historical context of Soviet science in which this research developed and the historical context of Western planetary cosmogony into which it was introduced. Then follows a selection of the seminal papers of Otto Schmidt, including some articles not previously published in English. The rest of the book is a compendium of articles and abstracts from the last forty years. There is a full bibliography of Soviet publications. This work is intended for physics and astronomy libraries and researchers and students in astronomy, planetary geophysics and the history of science.