&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RWar and Peace&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RLeo Tolstoy&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences―biographical, historical, and literary―to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RThe most famous―and perhaps greatest―novel of all time, &&LSTRONG&&RTolstoy&&L/B&&R’s&&L/B&&R &&LI&&RWar and Peace&&L/I&&R tells the story of five families struggling for survival during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RAmong its many unforgettable characters is Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a proud, dashing man who, despising the artifice of high society, joins the army to achieve glory. Badly wounded at Austerlitz, he begins to discover the emptiness of everything to which he has devoted himself. His death scene is considered one of the greatest passages in Russian literature.&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RThe novels other hero, the bumbling Pierre Bezukhov, tries to find meaning in life through a series of philosophical systems that promise to resolve all questions. He at last discovers the Tolstoyan truth that wisdom is to be found not in systems but in the ordinary processes of daily life, especially in his marriage to the novels most memorable heroine, Natasha. &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RBoth an intimate study of individual passions and an epic history of Russia and its people, &&LI&&RWar and Peace&&L/I&&R is nothing more or less than a complete portrait of human existence.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LSTRONG&&R&&L/B&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LSTRONG&&RJoseph Frank&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Princeton University and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Slavic Languages and Literature at Stanford University. He is the author of a five-volume study of Dostoevsky’s life and work.&&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R