Set against the sweeping panoply of Napoleonas invasion of Russia, "War and Peace"a presented here in the first new English translation in forty yearsais often considered the greatest novel ever written. At its center are Pierre Bezukhov, searching for meaning in his life; cynical Prince Andrei, ennobled by wartime suffering; and Natasha Rostov, whose impulsiveness threatens to destroy her happiness. As Tolstoy follows the changing fortunes of his characters, he crafts a view of humanity that is both epic and intimate and that continues to define fiction at its most resplendent. * Includes an introduction, note on the translation, cast of characters, maps, notes on the major battles depicted, and chapter summaries BACKCOVER: aThe best translation so far of Tolstoyas masterpiece into English.a aRobert A. Maguire, professor emeritus of Russian studies, Columbia University aIn Tolstoyas work part of the translatoras difficulty lies in conveying not only the simplicity but the subtlety of the bookas scale and effect. . . . Briggs has rendered both with a particular exactness and a vigorous precision not to be found, I think, in any previous translation.a aJohn Bayley, author of "Elegy for Iris"