Tolstoy and His Problems by Aylmer Maude Google Books:
This is mostly about Tolstoy's later beliefs, but a rather simple breakdown of how Tolstoy's beliefs mesh with politics and philosophy in the late 1800s. Maude does a good job of describing Russian politics at the time, as well as making some comparisons to English politics, and how Tolstoy's system and life can comment on those situations. Particularly helpful for understanding the background of Resurrection, Maude's nearness to Tolstoy is helpful, though we can hardly say the book is neutral and it often turns polemic.
A Signature on a Portrait by Michael L. Levin, The Levin Press, 1991:
Overly simplistic book I found in a library that doesn't have a lot of information it other than a few Tolstoy quotes. Overly positive and religious that seems haphazardly published.
The Portable Tolstoy by John Bayley, Viking Penguin Inc, 1978:
Portables are always nice for those who are completionists and Bayley has a pretty solid introduction that I'll use quotes from occasionally.
Tolstoy and Chekhov by Logan Speirs, Cambridge University Press 1971:
While I didn't read the Chekhov section of the book, there is a lot of good information on War and Peace in here. This includes a breakdown of the organization of the novel. He breaks down the big characters and the difference between Moscow and St. Petersburg well.
Tolstoy and His Message by Ernest Howard Crosby Google Books:
Lesser and more religious-oriented version of Maude's book above. It definitely has the benefit of being shorter. It seems to be more a supplement to Tolstoy's Confession or My Religion or could perhaps this could be read instead of those texts.
My Religion by Leo Tolstoy Google Books:
Less known that Tolstoy's other great religious texts, this has a lot of biblical translation and textual analysis that will probably only be particularly interesting to those interested in those topics. However, Tolstoy really breaks down and defends his arguments for pacifism, a-politicalism, and family. For those interested in his mid-late political and religious thought, this is a good starting point that is less personal than Confession.
An Examination of Free Will in Tolstoy's War and Peace by Irina Itriyevna, Wesleyan University:
A thesis I found online. Some good thoughts on, well...read the title.
Alexander I: The Tsar Who Defeated Napoleon by Marie-Pierre Rey, translated by Susan Emanuel. Northern Illinois Press, Dekalb, IL. 2012:
A great and in depth biography of Alexander, taking multiple perspectives and heavily relying on primary sources. There are some issues in the translations and the printing of the book (it probably needed another edit), but they are pretty easy to ignore. Highly recommend.
The Age of Napoleon by J. Christopher Herold American Heritage Inc, 1963, First Mariner Books 2002:
Heavily opinionated biography of Napoleon not written like a scholarly biography. So your mileage may vary, but I think it is an interesting read. Definitely a negative portrayal of Napoleon. Plenty of good information about Napoleon and his wars, including the Russian wars.
The Magical Chorus: A History of Russian Culture from Tolstoy to Solzhenitsyn by Solomon Volkov, translated by Antonina W. Bouis. 2008 by Alfred A. Knopf:
Essentially starting with Tolstoy's death, we go through how literature and politics collided through mostly the Soviet era. Helpful because we see the collision of Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Gorky. Mostly good for how Russian literature progressed after Tolstoy, so more post-War and Peace than the events that lead to War and Peace and understanding War and Peace as a text.
Anna Karenina translated by Joel Carmichael with Malcolm Cowley introduction, Bantham Classic Edition 1978:
Joel Carmichael removes Russian given name and patronymic problem in Anna Karenina, and notes that Tolstoy has no real style, similar to the comments of Cowley, pointing out his now rare omniscient narration.
Anna Karenina edited by Leonard J. Kent and Nina Berberova (Constance Garnett translation)
1965 Random House:
Has a much much better introduction that does a good job comparing War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
Leo Tolstoy: Modern Critical Views by Harold Bloom, 1986 Chelsea House Publishers:
A collection of good essays on Leo Tolstoy.
Leo Tolstoy: Twayne’s World Authors Series Russian Literature Edited by Charles A. Moser, William W. Rowe, 1986 Simon & Schuster Macmillan:
More literary thoughts on Tolstoy and War and Peace.
Readings on Crime and Punishment: Literary Companion Series edited by Derek C. Maus:
I used this for comparisons between Dostevsky's landmark work and War and Peace, something I hope to develop more in essays and articles.
The Story of Civilization 11: The Age of Napoleon A History of Europeon Civilization from 1789 to 1815 by Will and Ariel Durant, 1975 MJF Books:
A massive book in part of a massive series on history that is written on an accessible level. Popular in libraries for a good reason. I also recommend Will's The Story of Philosophy though he basically rejects Kant and Hegel.
Tolstoy: The Making of a Novelist by Edward Crankshaw, 1974 by Viking Press.:
A very negative portrayal of Tolstoy's life, work, and beliefs. His criticisms aren't necessarily wrong, but almost always give the least amount of credit possible. Written in a very energetic and easy to understand prose. A fun note: At the small school I previously worked at, this was the only book about Tolstoy in the library.
Alexander II The Last Great Tsar by Edvard Radzinsky Translated by Antonina W. Bouis, 2005 by Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.:
A very good book on the tsar that reigned over the emancipation of the serfs and Russia while Tolstoy wrote War and Peace. I think something I haven't seen in scholarly work in War and Peace is enough is the parallels between Alexander II and Alexander's I time, which are numerous and whether intentional or not, appear in Tolstoy's thought. It is impossible for people to view history outside of your own time and viewing the war of 1812 through the 1860s is something I think needs to be concentrated on more.
The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories Signet Classics Translated by Aylmer Maude:
Not much needs to be said on this one, though I think the comparisons between Ivan Ilych and War and Peace aren't that much other than some of the comedy early on and the constant empty search for promotion and meaning in "success". This book also includes the awful The Kreutzer Sonata. Much more interesting is the only slightly less cynical Family Happiness.
The Search: A Biography of Leo Tolstoy by Sara Newton Carroll. Harper & Row, Publishers. New York, Evanston, San Francisco, London, 1973. :
A rather simply written biography of Tolstoy.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude, Everyman's Library Alfred A Knopf New York Toronto. 1992. Introduction by John Bayley. :
Another Bayley introduction. This version also has a great list of characters at the first.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy translated by Lynn Solotaroff. Introduction by Ronald Blythe. Bantam Classic. New York, New York, 1981, reissued 2004. :
I have a lot of quotes and notes from this introduction.
Tolstoy: A Biography by Henri Troyat. Translated from the French by Nancy Amphoux, Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York. 1965, 1967. :
Classic biography on Tolstoy. Troyat also has one of the big biographers of Pushkin.
Russia And the Russians: A History by Geoffrey Hosking The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2001. :
If you want a overview of Russian history, this is very good. If you want specific details about different events that you find relevant, it isn't as helpful. It is a one volume book on the history of a whole nation, so, you get what you pay for.
Great Biographies Reader's Digest, Catherine, Empress of All the Russias by Vincent Cronin, Pleasantville, New York, 1987.:
Simple and positive biography of Catherine the Great.
Into Battle with Napoleon 1812: The Journal of Jakob Walter, Edited and Annotated by Bob Carruthers. Coda Books Ltd, South Yorkshire, 2011.:
First-hand account of the wars of 1812 from the French side (though Walter was Westphalian or "German"). I found his contact with Jews interesting as well of course his account of the suffering of the retreat. There are better printings of this out there than the one I have. Short and easy to read.
Anna Karenina, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Penguin Books, London, England, 2002.:
Good shelf companion with the Pevear and Volokhonsky War and Peace.
Austerlitz 1805: Battle Story, Gregory Fremont-Barnes. The History Press, Gloucestershire, 2013.
Books on Austerlitz, for reasons Davidov in his book below gives, is much harder to find than books on the War of 1812. This is small and almost purely from a military perspective, which is both interesting and less of what I am interested in.
The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, 1945, 1972.
Read this while in college, but I revisited this for Schopenhauer and Rousseau. Overall, this book is very good for people interested in, well..."The History of Western Philosophy". Russell is very biased of course, but does some interesting things in his summaries of the philosophers (one that has stood out to me for years is the conversation he has Nietzsche and Buddha have). Of course, a modern day reader will most likely want everything that happened in the history of Western philosophy, or *gasp* Eastern philosophy, since Russell wrote his book. He has very negative, probably too negative views of Tolstoy, Rousseau, and Schopenhauer.
Lectures on Russian Literature by Vladimir Nabokov, Harcourt Brace & Company, Orlando, Florida, 1981.:
Nabakov, in his irascibility and pomposity, is insufferable but at the same time, one of the best thinkers when it comes to Russian (or any kind of) Literature. Unfortunately, his section on Tolstoy focuses on Anna Karenina instead of War and Peace. I disagree with the way he believed literature worked (you don't need to know how the streets of Soho look to understand The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde), but he is one that deserves to be heard and read.
The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society by Jasper Ridley. Arcade Publishing, New York, 2001.:
Unsurprisingly, finding books about Freemasonry that aren't full of hysteria is difficult. Considering the centrality of Freemasonry in the Pierre plotline, understanding Freemasonry's influence at the time is important. This book is helpful from the French side (and Bonaparte's relationship with it) but contains very little Russian history.
Peter The Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie, Ballantine Books, New York, 1981, 1986.:
A television mini-series was based on this book, which is good to understanding Peter the Great and his role in Russian history, which has a small but not nonexistent role in War and Peace.
Up from Serfdom: My Childhood and Youth in Russia, 1804-1824 by Aleksandr Nikitenko. Translated by Helen Saltz Jacobson. Foreword by Peter Kolchin. Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 2001.:
A first-hand account of an exceptional serf rising out of slavery. While the Napoleonic Wars don't affect him, Nikitenko being from the time Tolstoy is writing about and going up to the time Tolstoy is writing is extremely helpful to understanding the peasant lifestyle and what it might be like to live at that time.
In the Service of the Tsar Against Napoleon: The Memoirs of Denis Davidov, 1806-1814, translated and edited by Gregory Troubetzkoy, Stackpole Books, Pennsylvania, 1999.:
Denisov in War and Peace is partly based on this leader of the Cossacks. A first-account that gives an account of Tilsit, the characters of Suvurov and Bagration, and of course the Napoleonic Wars through the lens of a Russian. Because of this, it is a necessary read.
Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. Translated by Charles Johnston, Introduction by John Bayley. Penguin Books, 1979.
One of the greatest works of Russian Literature and one of the most controversial in translation (see Nabokov's book). The introduction gives a nice account of Pushkin's life and helps make the connection between Pushkin and Tolstoy, which is important from a literary perspective (like understanding James Joyce is important to understanding English-speaking literature for the rest of the 20th century).
Anna Karenina, translated by Constance Garnett, with an Introduction and Notes by Amy Mandelker, Barnes & Noble Classics, New York, 2003.
Mandelker, another translator of War and Peace, has some great notes throughout, just as the Barnes & Noble Classics' War and Peace does.
Napoleon's Russian Campaign by Count Philippe-Paul de Segur, Translated from the French by J. David Townsend with an introduction by Peter Gay. Time-Life Books Inc., Chicago, 1980.
A clear source text for Tolstoy writing his novel, this is a first-hand account of someone who was with Napoleon during the War of 1812. Not only does it give a great account of Napoleon and the army, but it also gives characterization to characters like Ney, Murat, and others.
The Slavery of Our Times by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Alymer Maude, The Free Age Press, Maldon, Essex, 1900
An important political treatise by Tolstoy, arguing that emancipations from slavery have only created new slavery, which is caused chiefly by demographic shifts from rural areas to urban areas (caused by different forms of violence). Long review here.
The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Constance Garnett, Wilder Publications, Radford, VA, 2008
This edition is rather poor and full of typos. A text version of Leo Wiener's translation can be found here. An audio version can be found here. My review of the book is 17 different posts. If interested, I would encourage you to use the search bar.
Sonya: The Life of Countess Tolstoy by Anne Edwards, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1981
Lev Tolstoy by Victor Shklovsky, Translated by Olga Shartse, Progress Publishers, Moscow, USSR, 1978
Tolstoy: A Russian Life by Rosamund Bartlett, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, New York, 2011.
Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Rosemary Edmonds, Penguin Classics, New York, New York, 1985,
The Course of French History by Pierre Goubert, translated by Maarten Ultee, Franklin Watts, New York/Toronto, 1988
As the title suggests, this is an overview of French history, starting in the 900s to the 1980s. With enough detail to allow you to get a picture of each time period (and good chapter divisions to boot), Goubert gives a concise description of each period of French history, not only following political upheavals and personalities, but general economic and societal trends as well. Even if one is only interested in the Revolution or Napoleonic sections, I believe it is a necessary read.
Charles Breunig, The Age of Revolution and Reaction, 1789-1850. Second Edition. W.W. Norton & Company Inc, New York, 1977.
Part of Norton's History of Europe series in the 1970s, this book concentrates on the revolutionary period, particularly in France, but has good information on what happened after the period of revolutions and reforms and when it happened again in 1848. A good read for one wanting an overview of the period.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Crime and Punishment. Translated by Constance Garnett. Introduction by Ernest J. Simmons. Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York, 1950.
I was mainly interested in this edition because of the Simmons introduction.
This work is particularly important for comparison of Tolstoy's views of free will, history, and punishment. This work is also slender and much easier to digest than most of Schopenhauer's philosophy. It is simple enough that even non-philosophically inclined people can read it.
Yanov, Alexander The Origins of Autocracy: Ivan the Terrible in Russian History. Translated by Stephen Dunn. University of California Press Berkeley, Los Angeles, California, 1981.
Rather than a biography of Ivan the Terrible, this is mainly how Ivan the Terrible has been viewed in different periods of Russian history. What Yanov concentrates on the most is Hegelian and Stalinist apologists for Ivan. Yanov sees Russian history rotating through cycles of tyranny, "de-Stalinisation", and political stagnation. How this works most relevant to War and Peace is that the reign of Paul was tyranny, the reign of Alexander until the war of 1812 was the "de-Stalinisation", and what followed in Alexander's conservative turn was political stagnation.
Tolstoy, Leo Hadji Murat Foreward by Colm Toibin Translated by Hugh Aplin. Hesperus Press Limited, London, 2003. Reprinted 2004.
A novelette size story that develops a lot of the themes and characterizations of War and Peace, along with Tolstoy's later environmentalism. It is a strong story and is perhaps most notable for its portrayal of Tsar Nikolai I, which is the main reason it was published posthumously.
Roberts, Andrew. Napoleon: A Life. Penguin Books, New York, 2015
A modern biography of Napoleon in a big volume that is accessible (the writing is mostly very readable other than the occasional strange sentence or vocabulary words). Roberts is a semi-Napoleon defender, and it is very easy to disagree with his conclusions, but overall, he is pretty honest in Napoleon's mistakes. Roberts portrays Napoleon as a micro-managing autocrat that was interested in everything, and, unsurprisingly, wrong about a lot.
A Peace Reader: Essential Readings of War, Justice, Non-Violence and World Order. Revised Edition. Edited by Joseph J. Fahey and Richard Armstrong. Paulist Press. Mahway, New Jersey, 1992.
A collection of essays on the subjects of war and non-violence. Contains Tolstoy's Letter to a Non-Commissioned Officer, which I think is a great, and easy, starting point for anyone interested in Tolstoy's political and religious thought. The book also contains some writings from Gandhi and Martin Luther King, as well as some important writings from the Reagan/Gorbachev era.
Fischer, Louis Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World. Mentor, New York, New York, 1954.
A short and sweet description of Gandhi's personality and thought, including his principles of non-violence and comparisons between Tolstoy, Thoreau, and other thinkers. Gandhi is perhaps the greatest example of what Tolstoy's political thought could look like in action.
Tolstoy, Leo. The Raid and Other Stories. Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. Introduction by P. N. Furbank. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, 1982.
This collection contains The Raid (1852), Sevastopol in May 1855 (1855), Two Hussars (1856), Albert (1858), What Men Live By (1881), Master and Man (1895), How Much Land Does a Man Need (1886), The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886), and The Three Hermits (1886).
A Soldier for Napoleon: The Campaigns of Lieutenant Franz Joseph Hausmann, 7th Bavarian Infantry. Translated by Cynthia Joy Hausmann. Edited by John H. Gill. Greenhill Books, London, 1998.
An interesting look at an officer serving in the Napoleonic wars that will give a reader a viewpoint of what it was like to be in the army at this time (like Nikolai Rostov's section of War and Peace there is a lot of focus on Hausmann paying for and acquiring goods he wants or needs). Because of where he was located in the wars, the 1805 section is more helpful to a War and Peace reader than the 1812 section (notably, he refuses to disclose any of the horrors he saw in the French retreat).
Road to Revolution: A Century of Russian Radicalism. Avrahm Yarmolinsky. Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey, 1957.
Covering the different strains and important thinkers and agitators in 19th century Russia, this book helps posit Tolstoy's thoughts with the thoughts of revolutionaries in his time. The book has two chapters on the Decembrist movement, spends time on Alexander II's assassination and the execution of the perpetrators, and really tracks Alexander Herzen's rise, emigration, and how radicalism left him.
The Harvard Classics edited by Charles W Eliot. Volume 24. Edmund Burke. On Taste, On the Sublime and Beautiful, Reflections on the French Revolution, A Letter to a Noble Lord. The Collier Press, New York, 1909.
I of course read this for Reflections on the French Revolution. The work is anti-revolutionary, conservative, anti-Semitic, monarchist, Anglo-centric, nostalgic, capitalist, physiocratic, anti-democratic, pro-Catholic, and religiously autocratic. It is often given credit for prophesying the Terror and the more horrifying abuses of the revolution, but this is most likely accidental, as the book makes it clear that, more than anything, Burke was afraid of change and viewed his current England as the best government possible for humanity.
Tolstoy, Leo. Plays: Volume Two, 1886-1889, Translated by Marvin Kantor with Tanya Tulchinsky with an introduction by Andrew Baruch Wachtel. Northwestern University Press. Evanston, Illinois, 1996.
This contains the two Tolstoy plays The Realm of Darkness and The Fruits of Enlightenment. The former is a peasant morality tale, a chore to read in this translation with the normal broken Russian/translated English that Tolstoy's peasants speak in. The latter is a more interesting play, showing the relationship between peasants and the nobility, along with ridiculing the late 19th century obsession with spiritualism and its confusing relationship with the scientific movement. This play is a much closer representation of Tolstoy's work and thought, though they are certainly weaker than his short or long form fiction.
Groskop, Viv. The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature. Abrams Press, New York, 2018.
This very accessible, applicable, and personal book has chapters on Anna Karenina, War and Peace, and Crime and Punishment. It's funny without being distracting, a breeze to read without being simplistic, and despite having the subtitle "Life Lessons", refuses to succumb to easy answers or self-help style instruction. Each chapter is on a different work of Russian literature, contains a story from her own life, information about the author of the work, and comparisons with works covered in other chapters.
Kaufman, Andrew D., Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2014.
A fantastic primer and introduction to War and Peace that not only stresses applicability, but demonstrates a deep love for the subject matter. Kaufman hits all the major characters and shows how Tolstoy demonstrates Russian virtue and vice while interweaving his own personal stories and development as a person. He has a few interesting interpretations that I disagree with, but his command of Russian and the overall Tolstoyan canon solidifies the entire premise of the book.
Berlin, Isaiah, Political Ideas in the Romantic Age: Their Rise and Influence on Modern Thought. Edited by Henry Hardy with an introduction by Joshua L. Cherniss. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2006.
Unfortunately unfinished, this book has a really concise look at the political philosophies of Rousseau, Hegel, Maistre, and the utilitarians. Fichte and Kant are also discussed and it is easy to take Berlin's conception of these thinkers and compare it to Tolstoy's philosophy. The biggest drawback of the book is its unfinishedness, with Saint-Simon supposedly meant to be discussed and Maistre developed further. The printing of the book is too focused on the construction of the book and Berlin's notes, and the introduction is pompous and pedantic.
Okey, Robin. The Habsburg Monarchy: From Enlightenment to Eclipse. St. Martin’s Press. New York, N.Y., 2001.
A rundown of the Austrian monarchy from 1765-1918, this book is most helpful for its rundown of Maria Theresa, Joseph II (not in War and Peace, but an important Austrian and Enlightenment figure), Francis (whom Andrei meets), and Metternich (mentioned in War and Peace). The book also deals with issues such as Hungary and the Czechs and their quest for independence.
Fisher, Todd. Essential Histories: The Napoleonic Wars. The Rise of the Emperor 1805-1807. Osprey Publishing. Botley, Oxford, 2001.
Part of a series that I need to gather the rest of, this is a pretty handy rundown of the battles that populate the early part of War and Peace and help untangle some of the different personalities and their actions in Ulm/Austerlitz/Jena/Elyau. The negative is that, with its accessibility, it can be extremely reductive as to some of the characters.
Mikaberidze, Alexander. The Burning of Moscow: Napoleon’s Trial By Fire 1812. Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 2014.
For those interested in the historical perspective and the interpretation of events surrounding War and Peace, I recommended this book more than any other book that I've read so far. This book not only gives multiple historical perspectives on the Napoleonic invasion (looking at it from the Russian, French, and the often forgotten allied countries perspectives), this book gives a great view of (especially) Rostopchin, Kutuzov, Leppich, and what caused the fires in Moscow.
Tolstoy, Leo. Family Happiness: Stories. Harper Perennial, Broadway, New York, NY, 2009.
This contains the stories "Family Happiness", "Master and Man", the enigmatic "Alyosha the Pot", and for some reason, "Life Expectancy" by Holly Goddard Jones. The latter story has nothing to do with Tolstoy and is a very modern story, but I did enjoy reading it and seeing the character deal with a moral dilemma.
Stefan Zweig presents The Living Thoughts of Tolstoy, Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Conneticut, (1939, 1960).
This contains the Dole translation of some excerpts of Tolstoy's writings such as My Confession, War and Peace, and The Kingdom of God is Within You. It also has a very positive introduction.
Tolstoy’s Pierre Bezukhov: A Psychoanalytic Study by Daniel Rancour-Laferriere. Bristol Classical Press, London, 1993
A close look at Pierre's character makes this book worth reading, even if you have to dig through all the mostly unhelpful psychoanalyst babble to find what is worth mining out of it. Tolstoy would have found the interpretations put forth by Rancour-Laferriere repellent, but I find the book useful because of its ability to focus on one character and look deeply into his progression and regressions.
Ascher, Abraham, The Kremlin, Newsweek, New York, 1972.
An accessible history of Russia, with a Moscow focus (but not obsession) that will be helpful for those wanting a survey of Russian history.
Mathewson, Jr, Rufus, W. The Positive Hero in Russian Literature, Second Edition Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1975.
I thought this book would be more interesting than it was. Less helpful for those trying to understand Tolstoy and his (and his characters) position in Russian literature and more helpful to those wanting to compare Solzhenitsyn and Tolstoy's worldviews or a negative reading of Soviet Socialist Realism.
The Midnight Sun, The Tsar and the Nihilist. Adventures and Observations in Norway, Sweden, and Russia by J.M. Buckley, LL. D. D Lothrop and Company Boston, 1886.
An interesting late 19th century travelogue that, in the second half of the book, looks at Russia in the time of Alexander III, both how normal people lived, not just in Petersburg and Moscow, but throughout the Western half of the country. It also contains thoughts on the "nihilist movement" and the reaction to the assassination of Alexander II, the Orthodox church, and the legacy of Peter the Great.
The Kreutzer Sonata Variations, Translated and Edited by Michael R. Katz, Yale University Press/New Haven & London, 2014.
Napoleon’s Exile by Patrick Rambaud, translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside, Grove Press, New York, 2005,
Frederick the Great: A Biography, Ludwig Reiners, Translated by Lawrence P.R. Wilson, G.P Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1960
Atilla, King of the Huns, Man and Myth, Patrick Howarth, Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1995
The Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia, Edited by Wayne S. Vucinich, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1968.
Reminiscences of Lev Tolstoi by his Contemporaries, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, Translated by Margaret Wettlin
Ure, John. The Cossacks, Constable and Company Limited, 1999, London, Great Britain
Alan Palmer Russia in War and Peace, Weidelnfeld and Nicolson, 1972, The Macmillan Company, New York, New York.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Translated and Edited by Michael R Katz, Norton Critical Editions, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY, 2019.
Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Rosemary Edmonds, Penguin Classics, New York, New York, 1985,
The Course of French History by Pierre Goubert, translated by Maarten Ultee, Franklin Watts, New York/Toronto, 1988
As the title suggests, this is an overview of French history, starting in the 900s to the 1980s. With enough detail to allow you to get a picture of each time period (and good chapter divisions to boot), Goubert gives a concise description of each period of French history, not only following political upheavals and personalities, but general economic and societal trends as well. Even if one is only interested in the Revolution or Napoleonic sections, I believe it is a necessary read.
Charles Breunig, The Age of Revolution and Reaction, 1789-1850. Second Edition. W.W. Norton & Company Inc, New York, 1977.
Part of Norton's History of Europe series in the 1970s, this book concentrates on the revolutionary period, particularly in France, but has good information on what happened after the period of revolutions and reforms and when it happened again in 1848. A good read for one wanting an overview of the period.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Crime and Punishment. Translated by Constance Garnett. Introduction by Ernest J. Simmons. Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York, 1950.
I was mainly interested in this edition because of the Simmons introduction.
Arthur Schopenhauer, Essay on the Freedom of the Will. Translated and Introduced by Konstantin Kolenda. Dover Philosophical Classics, 2005, 2018. United States
This work is particularly important for comparison of Tolstoy's views of free will, history, and punishment. This work is also slender and much easier to digest than most of Schopenhauer's philosophy. It is simple enough that even non-philosophically inclined people can read it.
Yanov, Alexander The Origins of Autocracy: Ivan the Terrible in Russian History. Translated by Stephen Dunn. University of California Press Berkeley, Los Angeles, California, 1981.
Rather than a biography of Ivan the Terrible, this is mainly how Ivan the Terrible has been viewed in different periods of Russian history. What Yanov concentrates on the most is Hegelian and Stalinist apologists for Ivan. Yanov sees Russian history rotating through cycles of tyranny, "de-Stalinisation", and political stagnation. How this works most relevant to War and Peace is that the reign of Paul was tyranny, the reign of Alexander until the war of 1812 was the "de-Stalinisation", and what followed in Alexander's conservative turn was political stagnation.
Tolstoy, Leo Hadji Murat Foreward by Colm Toibin Translated by Hugh Aplin. Hesperus Press Limited, London, 2003. Reprinted 2004.
A novelette size story that develops a lot of the themes and characterizations of War and Peace, along with Tolstoy's later environmentalism. It is a strong story and is perhaps most notable for its portrayal of Tsar Nikolai I, which is the main reason it was published posthumously.
Roberts, Andrew. Napoleon: A Life. Penguin Books, New York, 2015
A modern biography of Napoleon in a big volume that is accessible (the writing is mostly very readable other than the occasional strange sentence or vocabulary words). Roberts is a semi-Napoleon defender, and it is very easy to disagree with his conclusions, but overall, he is pretty honest in Napoleon's mistakes. Roberts portrays Napoleon as a micro-managing autocrat that was interested in everything, and, unsurprisingly, wrong about a lot.
A Peace Reader: Essential Readings of War, Justice, Non-Violence and World Order. Revised Edition. Edited by Joseph J. Fahey and Richard Armstrong. Paulist Press. Mahway, New Jersey, 1992.
A collection of essays on the subjects of war and non-violence. Contains Tolstoy's Letter to a Non-Commissioned Officer, which I think is a great, and easy, starting point for anyone interested in Tolstoy's political and religious thought. The book also contains some writings from Gandhi and Martin Luther King, as well as some important writings from the Reagan/Gorbachev era.
Fischer, Louis Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World. Mentor, New York, New York, 1954.
A short and sweet description of Gandhi's personality and thought, including his principles of non-violence and comparisons between Tolstoy, Thoreau, and other thinkers. Gandhi is perhaps the greatest example of what Tolstoy's political thought could look like in action.
Tolstoy, Leo. The Raid and Other Stories. Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. Introduction by P. N. Furbank. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, 1982.
This collection contains The Raid (1852), Sevastopol in May 1855 (1855), Two Hussars (1856), Albert (1858), What Men Live By (1881), Master and Man (1895), How Much Land Does a Man Need (1886), The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886), and The Three Hermits (1886).
A Soldier for Napoleon: The Campaigns of Lieutenant Franz Joseph Hausmann, 7th Bavarian Infantry. Translated by Cynthia Joy Hausmann. Edited by John H. Gill. Greenhill Books, London, 1998.
An interesting look at an officer serving in the Napoleonic wars that will give a reader a viewpoint of what it was like to be in the army at this time (like Nikolai Rostov's section of War and Peace there is a lot of focus on Hausmann paying for and acquiring goods he wants or needs). Because of where he was located in the wars, the 1805 section is more helpful to a War and Peace reader than the 1812 section (notably, he refuses to disclose any of the horrors he saw in the French retreat).
Road to Revolution: A Century of Russian Radicalism. Avrahm Yarmolinsky. Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey, 1957.
Covering the different strains and important thinkers and agitators in 19th century Russia, this book helps posit Tolstoy's thoughts with the thoughts of revolutionaries in his time. The book has two chapters on the Decembrist movement, spends time on Alexander II's assassination and the execution of the perpetrators, and really tracks Alexander Herzen's rise, emigration, and how radicalism left him.
The Harvard Classics edited by Charles W Eliot. Volume 24. Edmund Burke. On Taste, On the Sublime and Beautiful, Reflections on the French Revolution, A Letter to a Noble Lord. The Collier Press, New York, 1909.
I of course read this for Reflections on the French Revolution. The work is anti-revolutionary, conservative, anti-Semitic, monarchist, Anglo-centric, nostalgic, capitalist, physiocratic, anti-democratic, pro-Catholic, and religiously autocratic. It is often given credit for prophesying the Terror and the more horrifying abuses of the revolution, but this is most likely accidental, as the book makes it clear that, more than anything, Burke was afraid of change and viewed his current England as the best government possible for humanity.
Tolstoy, Leo. Plays: Volume Two, 1886-1889, Translated by Marvin Kantor with Tanya Tulchinsky with an introduction by Andrew Baruch Wachtel. Northwestern University Press. Evanston, Illinois, 1996.
This contains the two Tolstoy plays The Realm of Darkness and The Fruits of Enlightenment. The former is a peasant morality tale, a chore to read in this translation with the normal broken Russian/translated English that Tolstoy's peasants speak in. The latter is a more interesting play, showing the relationship between peasants and the nobility, along with ridiculing the late 19th century obsession with spiritualism and its confusing relationship with the scientific movement. This play is a much closer representation of Tolstoy's work and thought, though they are certainly weaker than his short or long form fiction.
Groskop, Viv. The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature. Abrams Press, New York, 2018.
This very accessible, applicable, and personal book has chapters on Anna Karenina, War and Peace, and Crime and Punishment. It's funny without being distracting, a breeze to read without being simplistic, and despite having the subtitle "Life Lessons", refuses to succumb to easy answers or self-help style instruction. Each chapter is on a different work of Russian literature, contains a story from her own life, information about the author of the work, and comparisons with works covered in other chapters.
Kaufman, Andrew D., Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2014.
A fantastic primer and introduction to War and Peace that not only stresses applicability, but demonstrates a deep love for the subject matter. Kaufman hits all the major characters and shows how Tolstoy demonstrates Russian virtue and vice while interweaving his own personal stories and development as a person. He has a few interesting interpretations that I disagree with, but his command of Russian and the overall Tolstoyan canon solidifies the entire premise of the book.
Berlin, Isaiah, Political Ideas in the Romantic Age: Their Rise and Influence on Modern Thought. Edited by Henry Hardy with an introduction by Joshua L. Cherniss. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2006.
Unfortunately unfinished, this book has a really concise look at the political philosophies of Rousseau, Hegel, Maistre, and the utilitarians. Fichte and Kant are also discussed and it is easy to take Berlin's conception of these thinkers and compare it to Tolstoy's philosophy. The biggest drawback of the book is its unfinishedness, with Saint-Simon supposedly meant to be discussed and Maistre developed further. The printing of the book is too focused on the construction of the book and Berlin's notes, and the introduction is pompous and pedantic.
Okey, Robin. The Habsburg Monarchy: From Enlightenment to Eclipse. St. Martin’s Press. New York, N.Y., 2001.
A rundown of the Austrian monarchy from 1765-1918, this book is most helpful for its rundown of Maria Theresa, Joseph II (not in War and Peace, but an important Austrian and Enlightenment figure), Francis (whom Andrei meets), and Metternich (mentioned in War and Peace). The book also deals with issues such as Hungary and the Czechs and their quest for independence.
Fisher, Todd. Essential Histories: The Napoleonic Wars. The Rise of the Emperor 1805-1807. Osprey Publishing. Botley, Oxford, 2001.
Part of a series that I need to gather the rest of, this is a pretty handy rundown of the battles that populate the early part of War and Peace and help untangle some of the different personalities and their actions in Ulm/Austerlitz/Jena/Elyau. The negative is that, with its accessibility, it can be extremely reductive as to some of the characters.
Mikaberidze, Alexander. The Burning of Moscow: Napoleon’s Trial By Fire 1812. Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 2014.
For those interested in the historical perspective and the interpretation of events surrounding War and Peace, I recommended this book more than any other book that I've read so far. This book not only gives multiple historical perspectives on the Napoleonic invasion (looking at it from the Russian, French, and the often forgotten allied countries perspectives), this book gives a great view of (especially) Rostopchin, Kutuzov, Leppich, and what caused the fires in Moscow.
Tolstoy, Leo. Family Happiness: Stories. Harper Perennial, Broadway, New York, NY, 2009.
This contains the stories "Family Happiness", "Master and Man", the enigmatic "Alyosha the Pot", and for some reason, "Life Expectancy" by Holly Goddard Jones. The latter story has nothing to do with Tolstoy and is a very modern story, but I did enjoy reading it and seeing the character deal with a moral dilemma.
Stefan Zweig presents The Living Thoughts of Tolstoy, Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Conneticut, (1939, 1960).
This contains the Dole translation of some excerpts of Tolstoy's writings such as My Confession, War and Peace, and The Kingdom of God is Within You. It also has a very positive introduction.
Tolstoy’s Pierre Bezukhov: A Psychoanalytic Study by Daniel Rancour-Laferriere. Bristol Classical Press, London, 1993
A close look at Pierre's character makes this book worth reading, even if you have to dig through all the mostly unhelpful psychoanalyst babble to find what is worth mining out of it. Tolstoy would have found the interpretations put forth by Rancour-Laferriere repellent, but I find the book useful because of its ability to focus on one character and look deeply into his progression and regressions.
Ascher, Abraham, The Kremlin, Newsweek, New York, 1972.
An accessible history of Russia, with a Moscow focus (but not obsession) that will be helpful for those wanting a survey of Russian history.
Mathewson, Jr, Rufus, W. The Positive Hero in Russian Literature, Second Edition Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1975.
I thought this book would be more interesting than it was. Less helpful for those trying to understand Tolstoy and his (and his characters) position in Russian literature and more helpful to those wanting to compare Solzhenitsyn and Tolstoy's worldviews or a negative reading of Soviet Socialist Realism.
The Midnight Sun, The Tsar and the Nihilist. Adventures and Observations in Norway, Sweden, and Russia by J.M. Buckley, LL. D. D Lothrop and Company Boston, 1886.
An interesting late 19th century travelogue that, in the second half of the book, looks at Russia in the time of Alexander III, both how normal people lived, not just in Petersburg and Moscow, but throughout the Western half of the country. It also contains thoughts on the "nihilist movement" and the reaction to the assassination of Alexander II, the Orthodox church, and the legacy of Peter the Great.
The Kreutzer Sonata Variations, Translated and Edited by Michael R. Katz, Yale University Press/New Haven & London, 2014.
Napoleon’s Exile by Patrick Rambaud, translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside, Grove Press, New York, 2005,
Frederick the Great: A Biography, Ludwig Reiners, Translated by Lawrence P.R. Wilson, G.P Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1960
Atilla, King of the Huns, Man and Myth, Patrick Howarth, Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1995
The Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia, Edited by Wayne S. Vucinich, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1968.
Reminiscences of Lev Tolstoi by his Contemporaries, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, Translated by Margaret Wettlin
Ure, John. The Cossacks, Constable and Company Limited, 1999, London, Great Britain
Alan Palmer Russia in War and Peace, Weidelnfeld and Nicolson, 1972, The Macmillan Company, New York, New York.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Translated and Edited by Michael R Katz, Norton Critical Editions, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY, 2019.
Master and Man and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy, Translated with Notes by Ronald Wiks and Paul Foote with an Introduction by Hugh McLean, Penguin Classics, London, 2005
Leo Tolstoy A Confession and Other Religious Writings, Translated with an Introduction by Jane Kentish. Penguin Books, New York, New York, 1987
The Portable Thoreau Revised Edition Edited by Carl Bode. 1947, Viking Press, Penguin Books, Middlesex, England.
Alexander of Russia: Napoleon’s Conqueror, by Henri Troyat translated by Joan Pinkham, Fromm International Publishing Corporation, New York, 1980, 1982,
Europe: A History. Norman Davis, Harper Perennial, 1996, New York, New York
Anarchy! An Anthology of Emma Goldman’s Mother Earth, Edited and with Commentary by Peter Glassgold, 2001, Counterpoint, Washington, D.C.
Tolstoy’s Letters: Volume I 1828-1879 selected, edited and translated by R.F. Christian, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1978
Tolstoy’s Letters: Volume II 1880-1910 selected, edited and translated by R.F. Christian, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1978
Leo Tolstoy The Cossacks & Other Early Stories Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude with an Introduction by Anthony Briggs, Wordsworth Classics, London, 2012
Montefiore, Simon Sebag, Romanovs: 1613-1918, Vintage Books, May 2017, New York, New York.
Napoleon by Paul Johnson, Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books, London, UK, 2002, 2003
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol, introduction and notes by Jeffrey Meyers, Translated by Constance Garnett. Barnes & Noble Classics, New York, New York, 2005.
Selected Short Stories by Leo Tolstoy, Dover Thrift Editions, United States, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment