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 15th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1869
- Nationality
- Russian
- Length
- Very Long
- Pages
- 1225-1500
- Words
- 587,287
- Original Language
- Russian
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 69 lists:
- 2nd on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 3rd on For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
- 3rd on Ezra Klein Show's Most Recommended Books (Ezra Klein Show)
- 3rd on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 5th on The Main Works of Russian literature (Polka Academy)
- 5th on 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities (XLSemanal and Zenda)
- 5th on Top 50 Books (The Folio Society)
- 6th on Biblioteca (Argentina)
- 7th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 7th on The Celebrity Reading List (Gardiner Public Library)
- 8th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 8th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 9th on The Greatest Stories Ever Told (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- 11th on The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000) (Times)
- 13th on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 16th on Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Raymond Queneau)
- 17th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 20th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 20th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 24th on Top 25 Pre-20th Century Classics (The Guardian)
- 26th on The 100 Stories that Shaped the World (BBC)
- 27th on The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers (Le Monde)
- 28th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 28th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 30th on 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers (Penguin (UK))
- 30th on The 100 Best Books of World Literature (ABC.es)
- 33rd on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 40th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 52nd on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 61st on Top 100 Books, As Chosen By Canadians (The Gazette(Newspaper))
- 62nd on My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Australian Big Read)
- 66th on Big Read (German) (Germany)
- The Great American Read (PBS)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Six Professors from "Esteemed" Universities Favorite Books (Democrat and Chronicle (Newspaper))
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- Best Books Listed for High School Students (William J. Bennett)
- The 50 Most Influential Books of All Time (Open Education Database)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- What Harvard Professors Think Greatest Books Ever: Top 20 List (1977) (The Boston Globe (Newspaper))
- The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written (Martin Seymour-Smith)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read (Esquire)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
- 50 Greatest Books of All Time (Globe and Mail)
- Have You Read 100 Great Books? (The Jasper Lee Company)
- Recommended Reading List for Students (China 2020) (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China)
- 100 Greatest Books of All Time (Steve Donoghue)
- 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die (BBC Radio Oxford)
- 101 Significant Books (Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers)
- The 2024 Public Discourse Book List (Public Discourse)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History (Book)
- Finest Works of Fiction (Martin Seymour-Smith and Editors)
- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 (nextavenue)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)
- The 100 Best Books in the World (AbeBooks.de (in German))
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- W. Somerset Maugham’s Ten Greatest Novels of All Time (Great Novelists and Their Novels)
- The Best Classics (The Times)