“Would it be possible to analyze molecular mechanisms and structural organisation of polyribosome assemblies using cryo electron tomography?” – we asked through a longstanding collaboration between my research group and that of Alexander S. Spirin. Indeed, it was: we found that double-row polyribosomes can have both circular and linear arrangements of their mRNA Afonina, Z. A., et al. (2013) Biochemistry (Moscow) , we figured out how eukaryotic ribosomes assemble on an mRNA to form supramolecular left-handed helices Myasnikov, A. G., et al. (2014) Nat. Commun ., that the circularization of polyribosomes is poly-A and cap-independent Afonina, Z. A., et al. (2014) Nucleic Acids Res. , and that intermediary polyribosomes with open structures exist after a transition from a juvenile phase to strongly translating polysomes of medium size Afonina, Z. A., et al. (2015) Nucleic Acids Res. until they form densely packed helical structures with reduced activity. Our joint fruitful exchanges, hence, led to major advances in the field, which are reviewed here from a personal and historical perspective in memory of Alexander S. Spirin.