Books

Early US edition of Tolstoy's immense panoramic novel of love and trains. One of the great works of the 19th century, ANNA KARENINA altered the development of the modern novel and has inspired later writers to greater and greater heights of praise since it first appeared: it was Faulkner's choice for the greatest novel ever written, and even the very exacting Nabokov allowed that it was "one of the greatest love stories in world literature." As for its influence: "Practically every scene in Anna Karenina is branded on me," wrote Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West; "THAT is the origin of our discontent. After that of course we had to break away." 7.5'' x 5''. Original gilt-lettered brown cloth. Floral patterned endpapers. List of other titles by Tolstoy opposite title page. Publisher's ads at rear beginning with "Dostoyevsky's Works." 773, [1] pages, [5], [1] pages. Contemporary owner signature to title page. Minor shelfwear to extremities. Tiny tear to top if spine. Slight lean. Overall, bright and sound.

Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Many authors consider Anna Karenina the greatest work of literature ever written, and Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel. It deals with themes of betrayal, faith, family, marriage, Imperial Russian society, desire, and rural vs. city life. The complex novel unfolds against the backdrop of 19th-century Russian high society and tells the tragic story of a married aristocrat and her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. The novel explores a diverse range of topics throughout its pages and profoundly influences the genres of realist and romantic fiction.