Among his major works were acclaimed compilations «Загадки русского народа» [The Mysteries of Russian People] (1876), "The Pagan Dreams of Russia" (1882) and «Записки Императорского Русского географического общества» [Fables and Legends of the Samara Region] (1884).

[1] Notable works include : He also wrote poetry under the pseudonyms Д. Волжанин and Жанрист.

The poetic legacy of Sadovnikov who died in poverty and has never received wide recognition, is generally underrated.

[2] Sadovnikov has never received due credit even for his most famous poem, Iz-za ostrova na strezhen ("The Carnival is Over").

Set to a popular folk melody, this piece about ataman Stenka Razin is widely considered to be part of Russian musical folklore.