Introduction to Tolstoy's writings

This book -- consisting in large measure of a selection of material from my published works -- attempts to describe and discuss all those writings of Tolstoy which appear to have enduring significance. With few exceptions, they are works that have been translated into English. His fiction and plays have been considered with some regard for chronological order in an effort to trace Tolstoy's development as a creative artist. But I have also included treatments of major non-literary works in order to show his concurrent development as a thinker and reformer in such diverse fields as education, religious thought, aesthetics, and social, political, and moral problems. The book is not intended for scholarly specialists on Tolstoy, though they might gain some insights here and there from its pages, nor does it pretend to offer studies in higher criticism of his famous novels. The effort is what its title indicates -- an introduction to the writings of Tolstoy for those readers who wish initially to find their way among his voluminous works. - Preface.