"Anna Karenina" and "War and Peace" branded Tolstoy as one of the greatest writers in modern history. Few, however, have read his wonderful short stories. Now, in one collection, are the 20 greatest short stories of Leo Tolstoy, which give a snapshot of Russia and its people in the late nineteenth century. A fine introduction is given by Andrew Barger. Annotations are included of difficult Russian terms. There is also a Tolstoy biography at the start of the book with photos of Tolstoy's relatives. The classic stories include:

A Candle

After the Dance

Albert

Alyosha the Pot

An Old Acquaintance

Does a Man Need Much Land?

If You Neglect the Fire You Don't Put It Out

Khodinka: An Incident of the Coronation of Nicholas II

Lucerne

Memoirs of a Lunatic

My Dream

Recollections of a Scorer

The Empty Drum

The Long Exile

The Posthumous Papers of the Hermit Fedor Kusmich

The Young Tsar

There Are No Guilty People

Three Deaths

Two Old Men

What Men Live By