A sweeping, romantic saga of two noble families and their intertwined destiny, and a panoramic portrait of Russian society at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, Tolstoy's unforgettable masterpiece has inspired love and devotion in its readers for generations. Now read the original version of Russia's most famous novel, which never made it to publication in Tolstoy's lifetime. Undiscovered for more than a century, this edition—with its subtly different characters, dialogue, and ending—is essential reading for devotees of Tolstoy and new readers alike: it is world-class fiction in its most vivid and vital form.