Louise Shanks Maude Book order (chronological)

This collection of eleven stories spans virtually the whole of Tolstoy's creative life. While each is unique in form, as a group they are representative of his style, and touch on the central themes that surface in War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Stories as different as The Snowstorm, Lucerne, The Diary of a Madman and The Devil are grounded in autobiographical experience. They deal with journeys of self-discovery and the moral and religious thought that characterizes Tolstoy's works of criticism and philosophy. Strider and Father Sergy, as well as reflecting Tolstoy's own experiences, also reveal profound psychological insights. These stories range over much of the nineteenth-century Russian world, from the nobility to the peasantry, the military to the clergy, from merchants and cobblers to a horse and a tree. Together they present a fascinating picture of Tolstoy's skill and artistry.The snowstorm --Lucerne --Three deaths --Polikushka --Strider : the story of a horse --God sees the truth, but waits --The notes of a madman --Where love is, God is --The devil --Father Sergy --After the ball.

War and Peace, probably the greatest novel ever written, stands alone in its vast scope and minute detail, its immense diversity and final unity. Set in the years leading up to and culminating in Napoleon's disastrous Russian invasion, the novel focuses upon an entire society torn by conflict and change. Here is humanity in all its innocence and corruption, wisdom and folly, painful defeats and enduring triumphs. Here is the seemingly effortless artistry of a master capable of portraying with equal power the clash of armies and the solitary anguish of the heart. Here, finally, is a view of history and personal destiny that is perpetually modern.

"The Constance Garnett translation has been revised throughout by the editors."

"Anna Karenina" is perhaps the greatest novel of all time. It tells the story of Anna, married to the dull, cold Karenin in 19th century St. Petersburg, Russia. She falls in love with a handsome young soldier, Vronsky. At first Anna is happy, but the story ends in despair, and death. -- from p. 4 of cover.