Scanned, proofed and corrected from the original edition for your reading pleasure. (Worth every penny!)
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A biography of Leo Tolstoy was published in 1906 and was lavishly infused with illustrations, but no footnotes.
A second version was released in 1911 without illustrations but imbued with scholarly footnotes.
This edition is a compilation of both versions!
This edition contains both the illustrations and the footnotes.
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An excerpt from the beginning of Leo Tolsoy's introduction:
Introduction to His Reminiscences
Reason for writing the Reminiscences—Pushkin's verses—A quotation from Tolstoy's diary—The general review of his life—Tolstoy's attitude to his novels: Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth.
My friend, Paul Biryukov, having undertaken to write my biography (for the complete edition of my works), has asked me to furnish him with some particulars of my life.
I very much wished to fulfill his desire, and in my imagination I began to compose my autobiography. At first, I involuntarily began in the most natural way with only that which was good in my life, merely adding to this good side, like shade on a picture, its dark, repulsive features. But upon examining the events of my life more seriously I saw that such an autobiography, though it might not be a direct lie, would yet be a lie, owing to the biased exposure and lighting up of the good and the hushing up or smoothing down of the evil. Yet when I thought of writing the whole truth without concealing anything that was bad in my life, I was shocked at the impression which such an autobiography was bound to produce. At that time I fell ill, and during the unavoidable idleness of an invalid, my thoughts kept continually turning to my reminiscences, and dreadful these reminiscences were.
