A Moscow University alumnus, Goltsev authored numerous articles and essays on law and jurisprudence, as well as critical reviews and feuilletons, published in Russkiye Vedomosti, Russkaya Pravda, Golos, Vestnik Evropy, Russkoye Bogatstvo, and Delo.

In his much-publicized polemics with Ivan Aksakov and Mikhail Katkov he came across as a staunch proponent of the constitutional rule in Russia.

It was under his guidance that Russkaya Mysl drifted towards the left flank of Russian journalism and provided safe haven for many members of the staff of the closed Otechestvennye Zapiski.

[1] Goltsev was friends with many important members of Russia's literary elite, including Anton Chekhov, Alexander Ertel, and Gleb Uspensky.

Among Goltsev's books that came out as separate editions include The French State in the 17th Century (Государственное хозяйство во Франции XVII в., 1878), The Development of Pedagogy in Recent Times (Очерк развития педагогических идей в новое время, 1880), The Law and the Ways of Life in Russia in the 18th Century (Законодательство и нравы в России XVIII в., 1885), the collections of essays Education, Morality and Law (Воспитание, нравственность, право, 1889) and On Art (Об искусстве, 1890).