Set against the sweeping panoply of Napoleons invasion of Russia, "War and Peace" is often considered the greatest novel ever written. By turns philosophical and poetic, this sweeping Russian novel recounts the events surrounding the French invasion of Russia during the Napoleonic era. It covers the years between 1805 and 1813 and is based on extensive historical research. Readers are introduced to the Bolkonskys, the Rostovs, the Kuragins, and the...

With an Introduction by Anthony Briggs Translated by Louise Maude This powerful novel, Tolstoy's third major masterpiece, after War and Peace and Anna Karenina, begins with a courtroom drama (the finest in Russian literature) all the more stunning for being based on a real-life event. Dmitri Nekhlyudov, called to jury service, is astonished to see in the dock, charged with murder, a young woman whom he once seduced, propelling her into prostitution....

In this trilogy of autobiographical novels Leo Tolstoy's first published works are gathered together. An instant success, one which would launch Tolstoy's distinguished career, "Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth", was first published from 1852 to 1856. In these works, the early life of Nikolai, the son of wealthy landowner in Russia, is fully explored, slowly revealing this young boy's inner mind, relationships, and social standing. As he describes his...

Nikolai asks his animal friends to help him answer three important questions: "When is the best time to do things?" "Who is the most important?" and "What is the right thing to do?"