War and Peace

Napoleon couldn't conquer it. You can.

Leo Tolstoy's epic masterpiece is the longest, largest, most ambitious work of fiction ever written, a story of love, death, and the meaning of history that contains everything human.

Napoleon's armies march on Russia. Five aristocratic families—the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, the Rostovs, the Kuragins, and the Drubetskoys—are swept into the chaos. Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a dying count, searches for meaning in Freemasonry, philosophy, and marriage to the beautiful, terrible Hélène. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, weary of society, longs for glory on the battlefield—and finds only a wound and a ceiling. Natasha Rostova, young and impulsive, nearly destroys herself with a foolish elopement. And then the French invade. Moscow burns. The characters flee, fight, die, and survive. By the end, Pierre has found a kind of peace. Natasha has become a wife. And Tolstoy has added two long essays explaining why historians are wrong about everything.

This is Tolstoy at his most panoramic and intimate: a novel about the impossibility of understanding history, the randomness of human fate, and the small, quiet moments that matter more than any battle. War and Peace is not a book to be finished—it is a book to be lived in.

• Widely considered the greatest novel ever written, published in its complete form in 1869

• Features over 580 characters, including both historical figures (Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I) and fictional creations

• Includes two long philosophical essays (the "Second Epilogue") arguing against the "Great Man" theory of history

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the greatest stories are the ones that never end.

About the Author

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and moral philosopher, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in world literature. Born into Russian aristocracy, he served as an artillery officer in the Crimean War, an experience that shaped his lifelong anti-war convictions. War and Peace was published serially from 1865 to 1869, initially under the title The Year 1805. Tolstoy struggled with the novel's structure, alternating between historical narrative, philosophical essay, and fictional romance. He later expressed dissatisfaction with the work, calling it "verbose and badly written." Few agreed. The novel was an immediate success, and its reputation has only grown. Tolstoy's later works, including Anna Karenina (1877) and The Death of Ivan Ilyich(1886), reflected his profound religious and moral crisis. He died of pneumonia in 1910 at the Astapovo railway station, after fleeing his home in a desperate attempt to escape his fame and his family. He is buried at Yasnaya Polyana, his family estate.