Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace Vol. 1" is a sweeping epic that transports readers back to early 19th-century Russia. Through richly detailed characters and intricate plotlines, Tolstoy explores themes of love, war, and politics in a way that is both captivating and thought-provoking.

The Dole translation does an excellent job of capturing the essence of Tolstoy's writing, maintaining the author's distinct voice and style while making the text accessible to modern readers. The prose is elegant and engaging, drawing readers into the world of the story and bringing its characters vividly to life.

While the length of the novel may seem daunting at first, the depth of its storytelling and the complexity of its characters make it a truly rewarding read. Tolstoy's ability to weave together multiple narratives and perspectives creates a rich tapestry of human experience, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of history, society, and the human condition.

Overall, "War and Peace Vol. 1" is a masterpiece of literature that continues to resonate with readers today. Tolstoy's exploration of the human experience is both timeless and profound, making this novel a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the depths of the human soul.

Book Description:
”War and Peace” is a panoramic novel: It is its own justification, and perhaps needs no introduction. It always reminds the translator of a broad and mighty river flowing onward with all the majesty of Fate. On its surface, float swiftly by logs and stumps, cakes of ice, perhaps drowned cattle or men from regions far above. These floating straws, insignificant in themselves, tell the current. Once embark upon it, and it is impossible to escape the onward force that moves you so relentlessly. What landscapes you pass through, what populous towns, what gruesome defiles, what rapids, what cataracts! The water may be turbid, or it may flow translucent and pure, – but still it rushes on. Such to me is “War and Peace.”“War and Peace,” like all of Count Tolstoi’s works, is a mighty protest against war. There is no arguing in it about the waste, and the demoralization, and the cruelty, and the unmanliness of it, but, like all Russian argument, it is by vivid pictures such as no one can resist. The present translation has been made from the original Russian. Tolstoi has been felicitously called “the Russian Rembrandt.” It is not fair to reproduce Rembrandt as a Teniers. One may be sometimes tempted to substitute the curved line of beauty for the straight line of duty, or soften a harsh silhouette, but beyond certain unavoidable issues of the sort necessary for reproducing the impression given by the original, the translator ought to be as faithful as possible. Here the old law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, repudiated by Count Tolstoi, ought to have a new application. (from the Preface by N.H. Dole)Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3 (to be recorded)Volume 4 (to be recorded)