Song-Yuan vernacular literature. Various illustrated woodblock and lithographic editions of the novel (published before 1911) are discussed in chronological order with focus on the special features and artistic level of their illustrations, whose content and technique are compared. Popular woodblock prints nianhua from Russian collections are examined in order to trace whether connections with book illustrations exist and what episodes of the novel became more popular and for what reason. The paper refers to materials stored in prominent libraries, museums and research centers of Russia, Europe, US and Asia.