Books

First edition. Six parts in three volumes. 8vo. 225x150mm. Vol 1. Part I. [4], 297 [1 blank], 146; Part II. [4], 186. Vol 2. Part III. [4], 284; Part IV. [4], 336; Vol 3. Part V. [4], 323; Part VI. [4], 290. First edition issue points are present: part III, p227 for p127 and p265 for p255 and part IV, p153 for p253. Map on p239 of part IV. Smartly bound in modern red half morocco, marbled paper covered boards, with the title in French (Guerre et Paix) to the spine. Top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Slight rubbing to corners. Internally very good, this is an excellent copy in superb condition of one of the cornerstones of Russian, and indeed any, literature. Described by Turgenev as "the epic, the history novel and the vast picture of the whole nation's life", War and Peace began as a serialized work called 1805 which first appeared in the magazine Russkiy Vestnik (The Russian Messenger). Parts of the novel were published in 1867 but Tolstoy was unhappy with it and set about a substantial revision of the work, his wife Sophia copying seven complete drafts. The final version, published as War and Peace, differed markedly from the part-serialized 1805 and was, despite some critics' difficulty in classifying the work, an instant success and recognized as marking a significant shift in what literary fiction could do.

War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published serially, then in its entirety in 1869. It is regarded as one of Tolstoy's finest literary achievements and remains a classic of world literature. The narrative chronicles the history of the French invasion of Russia through the eyes of five Russian aristocratic families and reflects on the philosophical themes of war, peace, and the human condition.