War and Peace (Illustrated Edition)

Sydney M. Williams “Autumn Days (and Nights) with Tolstoy” December 10, 2023 “An historian and an artist describing our historic epoch have two quite different tasks before them. As an historian would be wrong if he tried to present an historical person in his entirety, in all his relations with all sides of life, so the artist would fail to perform his task were he to represent the person always in his historical significance.” Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) War and Peace, Appendix, 1868 In the Introduction to my copy of War and Peace, the late Tolstoy scholar Reginald Frank Christian of St. Andrews University wrote: “Many years later he [Tolstoy] told Gorky [Maxim Gorky] that ‘without false modesty, War and Peace is like the Iliad…” Professor Christian added that he had “deliberately refrained from calling War and Peace a novel,” and noted that Tolstoy claimed Anna Karenina, published ten years later, to be his first novel. Tolstoy wrote about what he knew. Born into the aristocracy fifteen years after Napoleon had been pushed out of Russia, he had first-hand war experience in Crimea, where he arrived in the fall of 1854 in time for the siege of Sevastopol. What Tolstoy created in War and Peace is epic – a combination of fiction, history and philosophy – and deserves its classical status. In early September, I read Peggy Noonan’s column in The Wall Street Journal, “My Summer with Leo Tolstoy.” The first thing I did, after deciding to read the book, was ditch the one-volume paperback I had purchased a few years earlier and bought a more-easily-handled three-volume set translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. At story’s end, I empathized with Ms. Noonan’s quote of George Will, who on completing Moby Dick wrote: “To think I might have died without reading it!” . Tolstoy wrote of war: “On the 12th of June 1812, the forces of Western Europe crossed the Russian frontier and war began…” “One step beyond that boundary line which resembles the line dividing the living from the dead, lies uncertainty…You fear and yet long to cross that line, and know that sooner or later it must be crossed…” He wrote of people, of four families, but especially of two individuals: Countess Natásha Rostóva, a “…strikingly poetic, charming girl, overflowing with life!” and Count Pierre Bezúkhov, a large, young, unhappily married man who searches for life’s purpose: “To that question What for? a simple answer was now always ready in his soul: ‘Because there is a God, that God without whose will not one hair falls from a man’s head.’” As well, Tolstoy pondered social, ethical, and religious concerns of the time, and he philosophized about the difficulty to understand the why of events like Napoleon’s invasion of Russia: “The higher the human intellect rises in the discovery of these purposes, the more obvious it becomes that the ultimate purpose is beyond our comprehension.” At over 1,500 pages, War and Peace is daunting, but it is captivating in all aspects. Like Dostoevsky and Chekhov, Tolstoy’s characters have names difficult for American ears. But they are descriptive and credible. Readers will not soon forget Andrew’s death, Sónya’s unrequited love, nor Mary’s loyalty. To those interested in the Napoleonic Wars, Tolstoy provided a window on that era from Russia’s perspective. And for us, living in traumatic times, his questions, thoughts, and timeless wisdom on life deserve our reflection. I spent many hours with Tolstoy, and I am glad I did.

I've read War and Peace four or five prior times to this purchase. All of those readings were a struggle, not in being captivated by the story, but in handling an 1100 + page paperback book; additionally with poor print/thin paper and second or third rate overall reading quality. This three volume set corrects all of those ills. The three volumes are a very handy size: 8.25" x 5.25" x 1.4"; volume 1 and 2 both have 537 pages, vol #3 has 527 pages. The pages are thick enough that they do not have to be handled carefully and they also do not allow ghosting from the reverse side printing to interfere with reading the front side. The print size is excellent; however, my 78 years old eyes would have preferred either a bit thicker print or a bit darker ink. The contrast between the print and the paper is good with the paper being a warm off-white, slightly sandy color. Each of the volumes weighs about the same; although they are not lightweight they are not heavy and are a convenient pleasing size and weight that allows for easy handling. The hardcovers and binding are adequate. But these volumes need to be picked up and put down. Never to be thrown about or treated without respect. Although they are not fragile, they are also not sturdy. With care this set should last a lifetime. Finally cost. I paid $35 in July, 2023; after reading paperback versions, I can say this is one of the best purchases I've ever made! This set has the Maude translation. I find it to be the best that I've read; very readable while preserving the beauty of language that was so important to Tolstoy. Read the story for yourself, it will be nowhere near as difficult as you fear. There is ample reason for it to be considered one of the greatest works of literature ever written. But you will have to discover 'why' for yourself.

This everyman's library's edition is excellent. I highly recommend this book.

I read War and Peace many years ago and enjoyed it immensely. (Don't be daunted it is not a difficult read.) The best way to read War and Peace is to photocopy the page with all the family names involved and keep that next to you as you read. Once you get to page 200 you have met most of the characters and the remainder of the book races past. I suggest you try to read the book as fast as possible, say in 5 days or less. Gives you a unique insight to Russian life and culture, including the nobility and the ordinary people. During the peace there is the maneuvering and family alignments and interactions, as well as the pretensions of the "french" speaking Russian nobility. As to war, the impact of obsolete traditions like the cavalry charge on the prosecution of war. The ideals of heroism and entitlement by the officers and nobility, how the war alters them and how they adapt to peace. The reality, that war is messy and random, where the outcome is often a matter of luck. (Although errors by old generals with inflated reputations contribute to the losses.) Sometimes the story follows an individual as the superficiality of their ideas of war are stripped away, as they drag themselves through life sucking mud in the aftermath of a battle. I bought this Kindle version, so that I can reread it with convenience of the Kindle.

No doubt you are facing here a masterpiece of literature with no rival at its level. So, any review would be mainly concerned about the publisher and translation. Otherwise. there is not much to say about this masterpiece in a short review. I wished I could read it in its original Russian version. Nevertheless, I have been mesmerized even in its translated form since I read it first as a teenager. The joy repeated two other times with a deeper insight. Now it is perhaps my last try! No other novel can you find that has such lively, vivid character as Natasha, or so realistically human as Andrei, or so naïve truth-seeker as Pierre ... But that is not all ... The point is that when you read War and Peace, not only you would be surprised as how Tolstoy has managed to create about 200 "round characters" (viz. three dimensional people you could feel as real life personages) with his profound technic but the aesthetic sensation you feel as if you are living another life in another time and space. This feeling is so palpable, so deep that I will never forget. It is a historical story embracing human situations, youth and death, love and hatred, faith and betrayal, all inspired by Tolstoy's own experience and reality. Yet sometimes it goes deeper to raise the philosophical questions and dilemma of existence vis-à-vis human beings that engaged Tolstoy for years. Even when Tolstoy breaks the rule of story telling and enters as the author to tell us about his philosophy of history, you can listen to him with pleasure as if it is the crystallization of the undertone of the story you have already picked unconsciously throughout your reading without being able to express it so clearly! It is a grand novel in about 1000 page, but it is not because it is an over-stretched thin story you find in the TV series or superficial soap operas. Rather it has a condensed style, with terse descriptions that a novice writer is unable to write, without expanding a sentence into a paragraph. As an example I open up the book randomly, P. 142, Vol 1 of the current translation: " 'Att-ention!' shouted the regimental commander in soul-shaking voice which expressed joy for himself, severity for the regiment, and welcome for the approaching chief." But 4 stars for this specific translation (*) that, as good as it is, does not match my taste, mainly because the original French or German dialogues that reflect the Russian aristocrats' language at the time have been replaced with translated version in the body of the text rather than in the footnotes. Although, many prefer such simplified approach, I still like the older authentic style of preserving the original. It is not because I am fluent in French but one can go with the text as if s/he is reading some magical incantations that would not make sense before you look it up! In this regard, I personally prefer the newr [2007] translation of War and Peace by RPLV (Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) over the current but older [1923] translation by LAM (Louise and Aylmer Maude) As a comparison we may compare the following paragraph: 1. RPLV: “Dieu, quelle virulente sortie!” the entering prince replied, not ruffled in the least by such a reception. He was wearing an embroidered court uniform, stockings, shoes, and stars, and had a bright expression on his flat face. (Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace (Vintage Classics) (p. 1). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.) 2. The current translation by LAM: 'Heavens! what a virulent attack!' replied the prince, not in the least disconcerted by this reception. He just entered, wearing an embroidered court uniform, knee-breeches and shoes , and had stars on his breast and serene expression on his fat face. Incidentally, I noticed that Michael R. Katz in his article (War and Peace in Our Time) that you can find on Internet, has also found the translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky, more authentic, especially in preserving the very key-words Tolstoy uses. (Such words are significant literally if you recall for instance Vladimir Nabokov's Lectures on Russian Literature, where he discusses Tolstoy style vs. its translations). Thus concludes M. R. Katz: “the Maudes’ translation is generally serviceable, but it contains occasional errors and numerous examples of passages where they altered or “improved on” the style of the original. … [while] Pevear and Volokhonsky manage to preserve most of Tolstoy’s stylistic originality, both semantic and syntactic. Their efforts convey a much closer equivalent in English to the experience of reading War and Peace in the original. …. [Once] Robert Fitzgerald, … stated in a postscript to his translation of Homer’s Odyssey: ‘…. if you will not betray Homer with prose or poor verse, you may hope to make an equivalent that he himself would not disavow.’ Tolstoy’s War and Peace has often been put in a league with Homer’s epic poems; in the end, it seems to me that the same might be said for Pevear and Volokhonsky’s translation of his great novel.” In any case, translation of Maudes, in the current reprint book has been divided into three volumes to cover about 1000 pages. The letters are not faint as some readers have complained. In general, aside from rare occasions when a letter is quoted in smaller fonts, the font size is relatively ok and readable (although not as large as common books) and legible even if you are using glasses (provided they are proper reading glasses of course!) This set of three hardcover volumes comes in a protective box. The dimension is quite handy 13 X21 Cm (5" X 8"). __________________ (*) SOME EXTRA INFORMATION: To quote from an article by LUCY DAY W Louise and Aymler Maude, who translated War and Peace in 1923, were a Russian-speaking British couple who were friends of Tolstoy. Aylmer Maude wrote his biography. Their translation is approved by Tolstoy [perhaps in 1904, six years before his death]: “Better translations, both for knowledge of the two languages and for penetration into the very meaning of the matter translated, could not be invented.” Their translation being now off copyright and different publishers have and reprinted it. This being published by a division of Penguin Random House by Knopf. I am not sure if this edition is based on the edited and revised edition of Gerorge Gibian, in 1966, since there is is no mention of him in the book.

In some ways a typical Russian novel in that it depicts life and events with stunning granularity and intrigue. And if that’s all you’re looking for, settle in for a treat and enjoy the ride. There’s plenty of it. But if you’re looking for an intellectual journey that challenges your concepts of what he calls the “Science of History”, confronting the most challenging topics like Freedom, free will, continuity of history and inevitably, then I can think of no better place to spend what took me a considerable amount of time. An intricate Russian novel placed within the context of historical events, surrounded by historical characters, and supported by occasional thought provoking essays on relevant topics that provide support for the fictional characters and meaning behind the history. Historically accurate, philosophically provoking and artistically genius. Must read.

I will not write a review for War and Peace aside from saying it's an absolute classic that is a relevant today as I am sure it was upon release. The treatment received by Everymans Library is absolutely stunning. The binding is solid as a rock and I have no doubt these books will hold up for many many reads. The only caution I can give is the fact there is a lot of French thrown into the text and there is no glossary in the book to translate it. An easy solution for this is to either look up the translations online, or do as I am doing and purchase the four dollar Wordsworth Maude translation and use their glossary at the back to help with translation. Although the lack of translations can be somewhat annoying, I simply must give this set a 5 star review still because the quality exceeds anything that should be available at this low price point. If you love War and Peace like I do, make sure you get this set because if you don't and it's not available one day I know you will be kicking yourself. NOTE: The first image I posted is not of this product but the cheaper Wordsworth edition which I recommend getting as well to aid you with French translations... Also it's handy to have a 4 dollar copy of the book to take with outside the house to ensure you can keep these more expensive copies in pristine condition at home.

I've wanted to read War and Peace for some time. I looked at a bunch of versions in new/used book stores but most are smaller print. This was the largest print version I could find. This 3 volume set is significantly larger print than the single volume Pevear/Volokhonsky translation. The pages are a creamy white (as opposed to dull gray with the Pevear version), and easier to read in my opinion. I also like the fact that I feel like I'm reading one normal book at a time as opposed to one giant tiny print book. I read a bunch about translations before buying and the Maude translation is highly recommended by people smarter than I am. Not sure of excact font size, but I would guess its around 9.5 or 10. Not big but still the biggest I could find.

It's technically perfect! The cardboard box isn't as hard as I thought, but it's good. The content itself doesn't need comments.

The splitting up of the book into 3 volumes makes it easier to handle, and often single volume versions compress the text making it harder to read comfortably. The books themselves were in good condition, but the slipcase was a bit bashed, but it was secondhand so acceptable.

The review is for the quality of the cover and the print. The book itself is a slow read, 3 chapters in and they still haven't left the drawing room.

Great deal!

A very good boxed set of hard cover edition with attractive dust cover jacket.A must item for those interested in collectible editions.