War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Set in the backdrop of the Napoleonic era, the novel presents a panorama of Russian society and its descent into the chaos of war. It follows the interconnected lives of five aristocratic families, their struggles, romances, and personal journeys through the tumultuous period of history. The narrative explores themes of love, war, and the meaning of life, as it weaves together historical events with the personal stories of its characters.
The 12th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 6184
This book was first published in 1869
89 Lists
- score: 232 -- 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities - 2020 (Weight: 190)
- score: 227 -- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors - 2008 (Weight: 190)
- score: 219 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 180)
- score: 219 -- For The Love of Books - 1999 (Weight: 180)
- score: 219 -- Biblioteca - 2008 (Weight: 190)
- score: 205 -- The 100 Best Books of World Literature - 2018 (Weight: 190)
- score: 200 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature - 2002 (Weight: 200)
- score: 195 -- Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale - 1956 (Weight: 170)
- score: 191 -- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time In English - 2026 (Weight: 160)
- score: 190 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 181 -- The Main Works of Russian literature - 2018 (Weight: 150)
- score: 177 -- Finest Works of Fiction - 1980 (Weight: 167)
- score: 169 -- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher - 2005 (Weight: 160)
- score: 169 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) - 1991 (Weight: 160)
- score: 169 -- The Bigger Read List - 2003 (Weight: 160)
- score: 150 -- 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2020 (Weight: 142)
- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 133 -- 100 Life-Changing Books - 2006 (Weight: 126)
- score: 131 -- The 100 Stories that Shaped the World - 2019 (Weight: 120)
- score: 128 -- Big Read (Bulgarian) - 2009 (Weight: 120)
- score: 122 -- Ezra Klein Show's Most Recommended Books - 2024 (Weight: 100)
- score: 120 -- Best Books Listed for High School Students - 1984 (Weight: 120)
- score: 117 -- Millennium Masterworks - 2000 (Weight: 110)
- score: 112 -- Big Read (Hungarian) - 2005 (Weight: 110)
- score: 106 -- IWU Select 100 Must-Read Books - 1991 (Weight: 100)
- score: 98 -- All-Time Classics, According to Academics - 1985 (Weight: 81)
- score: 94 -- Have You Read 100 Great Books? - 1950 (Weight: 89)
- score: 94 -- 101 Significant Books - 1989 (Weight: 89)
- score: 82 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 70)
- score: 80 -- 100 Best Books - 2010 (Weight: 70)
- score: 75 -- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher - 2009 (Weight: 71)
- score: 74 -- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) - 1947 (Weight: 70)
- score: 71 -- The Greatest Stories Ever Told - 1994 (Weight: 71)
- score: 70 -- The Celebrity Reading List - 2007 (Weight: 60)
- score: 70 -- The Great American Read - 2018 (Weight: 70)
- score: 68 -- Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 60)
- score: 64 -- Cape Coral Public Library's Must-Read Books for the Summer - 2001 (Weight: 61)
- score: 64 -- 50 Greatest Books of All Time - 2008 (Weight: 61)
- score: 64 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2008 (Weight: 61)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- Big Read (German) - 2004 (Weight: 60)
- score: 57 -- R/ClassicLiterature's Top 100 Favorite Books - 2026 (Weight: 50)
- score: 57 -- 4chan’s Literature Board’s Aggregate Top 100 Books for the Decade 2014 - 2024 - 2024 (Weight: 50)
- score: 54 -- The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers - 2019 (Weight: 50)
- score: 53 -- Top 50 Books - 2008 (Weight: 50)
- score: 51 -- Six Professors from "Esteemed" Universities Favorite Books - 1982 (Weight: 51)
- score: 42 -- 150 Great Reads - 1988 (Weight: 40)
- score: 40 -- Top 100 Books, As Chosen By Canadians - 2005 (Weight: 40)
- score: 36 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 31 -- Amor Towles's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" - 2020 (Weight: 30)
- score: 31 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 30)
- score: 31 -- Classics Revisited - 1968 (Weight: 30)
- score: 30 -- 100 Greatest Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 30)
- score: 23 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 20)
- score: 23 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 20)
- score: 12 -- Readers’ Top 100 Novels Of All Time - 2026 (Weight: 10)
- score: 11 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- An Expert's 200-Book List - 1973 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- W. Somerset Maugham’s Ten Greatest Novels of All Time - 1954 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 - 2012 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- The 100 Best Novels in Translation by Boyd Tonkin - 2019 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Sylvia Plath's Recommended Books - 2019 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Top 50 Books - 1997 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000) - 2009 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History - 2009 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Daniel S. Burt's Recommended Historical Novels - 2003 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written - 1998 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Love - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 501 Must-Read Books - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written - 1979 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Select 100 - 2015 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Fifty Representative Historical Novels (Jonathan Nield, 1925) - 1925 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time - 1993 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library - 2008 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Recommended Reading List for Students (China 2020) - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 50 Most Influential Books of All Time - 2010 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Best Books in the World - 2021 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- What Harvard Professors Think Greatest Books Ever: Top 20 List (1977) - 1977 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read - 2015 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Greatest Books of 2024 - Honorable Mention - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Top 25 Pre-20th Century Classics - 2000 (Weight: 1)