The article is devoted to the principles of constructing the textbook "Russian language for foreign students of preparatory faculties". Its relevance is due to the needs of the development of textbook theory, one of the tasks of which is the study and generalization of any information related to the construction of textbooks. Information about these principles can also be of practical value — it can be useful for educators working to create their own teaching materials. Purpose of the article is revealing the features of the creation of the textbook "Russian language for foreign students of preparatory faculties". The material for the study was this textbook itself and other textbooks of the textbook "Russian language for foreign students of preparatory faculties". The material for the study was this textbook itself and other textbooks of the Russian language for preparatory faculties, as well as the social context in which they were created, the educational and communication needs of foreign students. The research methods are the following: retrospective analysis of textbooks and the educational process as a whole, an analysis of the teaching principles implemented in the textbook, and the principles of building a textbook related to them. The article describes the process of preparation of new teaching materials by the teachers of the Russian language at the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport, their approbation in the learning process and the development of the first version of the textbook, the experimental teaching on it in different universities of St. Petersburg and the features of its processing. The basic principles of creating a textbook are described. The principle of historical and cultural orientation assumed the inclusion of texts about those realities of Russian life, which, on the one hand, are included in the background knowledge of the majority of Russian citizens, on the other hand, are the subject of national pride of Russians. At the same time, the idea of the equivalence of national cultures was carried out, which corresponds to the main provisions of the theory of intercultural learning. The textbook also implements the principle of taking into account the needs of students and the characteristics of the personality of teachers, as well as the principle of combining the processes of forming linguistic knowledge and speech skills.