The Purana Literature as a scribed to Vedavyasa are uniformly stated to be eighteen in number. They are works of evidently different ages and have been compiled under different circumstances. The prcise nature of which we can but imperfectly conjecture from internal evidence, and from what we know of the history of religion opinion in india. The Vishnu Purana is said to be Vaisnava Purana and the learned know its extent to be twenty-three thousand stanzas. 

This Purana is divided in the six books, in which the first is occupied chiefly with the details of creations, primary (sarga) and secondary (pratisarga ); the first explaining how the universe proceeds from prakrti, the second, in what manner the forms of thinghs are developed from the elementary substances previously evolved or how they reappear after their temporary destruction. The second books opens with a continuation of the kings of the first Manvantara; amongst whom, Bharata is said to have given a aname to India, Called after hin Bharatavarsa. This also contains infromation about seven continents, oceans, planetary and other spheres. The arrangement of the Veas is described in the third book. The fourth book contains all that the Hindus have of their ancient history including the list of dynastics. The fifth book is occupied with the life of Krsna which is in fact the distinguishing feature of Vishnu Purana. The last book contains an account of the dissolution of the world byfire and water. 

This is for the first time that an English translation by H.H. Wilson is being published along with the complete sanskrit text of Vishnu Purana.