Books by Lev Tolstoy

People still struggle to find the meaning of life, as if humanity didn’t know Socrates, Christ, Rousseau, Kant, Schopenhauer…
(Lev Tolstoy, On Insanity)

To “What should I do?”, I answered:
1) Don’t lie to people or myself;
2) Don’t be afraid of truth, wherever it takes me;
3) Fulfill the Eternal Law: by my own work, support the lives of others and of my own.
(Lev Tolstoy, What Must We Do?)

“Hurry to understand Tolstoy from younger age, until hereditary disease of sham busyness is not weakened your mental and physical strengths!”
(Aleksandr Blok)

He is the greatest power in the world today. His power is moral power.
(John C. Kenworthy about Leo Tolstoy)

The governing establishment has decided long ago to get rid of Tolstoy as morality teacher. Thanks to silencing, purposeful concealment, Leo Tolstoy – the greatest thinker, prophet, teacher of life – stays almost unknown to the world.

We found crude errors in various English translations of Tolstoy’s texts that perverted the meaning of the writings and can hamper the understanding of the spiritual teaching (see English translation errors that pervert meaning of “Gospel in Brief” by Tolstoy and outstanding errors in translation of other Tolstoy’s works). In the list below, we’ve ensured the accuracy of English translations of the texts.

We advise you to start by choosing a reading from the list, read as many books as you can; alternate non-fiction with fiction for deeper understanding.

To get a book in pdf, epub, or Kindle format, click the “[download]” link next to a book below, or go to our e-books archive page. To sort the list by name, year, or genre, just click little arrows next to the column’s header.

Also check out our other recommended reading list (beside Tolstoy).

Name	Year	About	Genre
Christian Teaching [download] (“Христианское учение”)	1895	This fundamental work contains all the essentials a person must know to recognize in himself and conquer sins, which obstruct his manifestation of love to all that exists, and thus prevent him from achieving his true life purpose.	Nonfiction
Greek Teacher Socrates [download] (“Греческий учитель Сократ”)	1885	A wonderful legend in which Tolstoy describes heart-touching life of Socrates as a wise honest man, a teacher of morality, great example for a person’s search for true meaning of life.	Fiction
Flow of Water [Download] (“Течение воды”)	1886	In this parable, Confucius compares his teaching with a flow of water, which was flowing for us from the beginning of the world, without stop. And so we should pass the teaching we received to our descendants, and so on, until the end of the world.	Fiction
Time to Come to Your Senses! [Download] “Пора опомниться!”)	1888	If those who sell alcohol conspire against many and want to make the rest people in the world drunk, then it’s time for rational people to understand that they need to unite and fight the evil, so that wicked people wouldn’t be turning them and their children into drunkards. It’s time to come to your senses!	Nonfiction
Appeal [download] (“Воззвание”)	1889	Lev Tolstoy appeals to all people to stop, re-think the way they live, and to choose that life which gives actual blessing and leads to it.	Nonfiction
Too Expensive [download] (“Дорого стоит”)	1890	This true story, based on a tale by Guy de Maupassant, is about a murder was committed in Monaco king’s domain. They condemned the criminal to have his head cut off but didn’t have a guillotine nor an executioner. To borrow a machine was too expensive. They decided to sentence him for life. Gave him a guard to keep & bring food. It came out not cheap, either. They decided to get rid of him. He said he had nowhere to go & it wasn’t fair. They had to offer him a pension. That’s how the matter was settled. Read in full this hilarious satire on legal system!	Fiction
To Chinese people from a Christian [download] (“Китайскому народу от христианина”)	1894	In this letter, Tolstoy warns Chinese people about armed people who call themselves Christians (like the Salvation Army), who actually have nothing to do with Christianity, and they are perverting and destroying souls of millions, constantly expanding their influence over more and more countries, under guise of offering them their wares and their wild faith, pushing their glitz what they call “culture”, but make people forfeit their own virtues and this committing the greatest villainy against people.	Nonfiction
To God or to Mammon? [download] (“Богу или мамоне?”)	1899	“There is an old story about a monk who lost a bet to the devil and had to do what the devil would order him. And so the devil gave the monk a choice of three crimes: murder, fornication, or drunkenness. The monk chose drunkenness, thinking that if he gets intoxicated he would harm only himself. But when the liquor took over him, he lost control of his reason, went to the village and there, yielding to a temptation of a woman, he committed adultery with her, and then committed a murder by defending himself from her husband, who returned and attacked him.”   Whoever you are, you cannot stay between two camps anymore, you unavoidably must choose one of the two: to oppose drunkenness or cooperate with it – serve God or mammon.	Nonfiction
Response to the Synod and to Letters Received in Regards to Their Edict [download] (“Ответ на определение синода”)	1901	This letter is essential to understand the reasons for the attacks by Church at Lev Tolstoy, which continue for already over 100 years. Read these ridiculous accusations against him! Tolstoy answered that he could not watch passively how they, in the name of God, instead of Christ’s teaching, preach gross sorcery and hide the true God from people.	Nonfiction
Overthrow of Hell and Its Restoration [download] (“Разрушение ада и восстановление его”)	1902	In this legend, a satirical story, Tolstoy gave deep true characteristic of existing social structure, people’s confusions about religious beliefs and other prejudices, confusions about morals and discerning of what’s “right” and “wrong” – all described from the point of view of characters of devils from hell.	Fiction
Work, death, and disease [download] (“Труд, смерть и болезнь”)	1903	“Work, Death, and Disease” by Lev Tolstoy – a beautiful legend based on a Native Americans’ tale: how God, through trials, taught people to live in love and union with everybody.	Fiction
Trust Yourself [download] (“Верьте себе”)	1906	“Believe in yourself and live to put all your strengths into one: to manifest God in you – and you’ll accomplish everything you can for your own welfare and for welfare of the whole world.” Tolstoy	Nonfiction
Love each other [download] (“Любите друг друга”)	1907	“When people live everyone for himself, they cannot avoid taking away from each other, fighting, getting mad at each other, and so their life can’t not to be unhappy. For life to be a blessing as intended, people need to understand that our real life is not in our body, but in that spirit which lives in our body…” Tolstoy	Nonfiction
Blessing of Love [download] (“Благо Любви”)	1908	An appeal to people-brothers: Believe only in the blessing of love which is open to you and is calling you.	Nonfiction
Time Has Come [download] (“Время пришло”)	1908	The consequence of people non-following the teaching of universal truth of love and kindness brought people to the terrible sufferings and corruption of their souls. And, as a result, they live in what’s called a governmental state which tortures, robs, in favor of a small part of the corrupt people enjoying this rip-off.	Nonfiction
Archangel Gabriel [download] (“Архангел Гавриил”)	1908	A legend about how an angel found out what is actually important to God.	Fiction
Two Brothers and the Gold [download] (“Два брата и золото“)	1886	Read this tale, and then tell, what do you think the moral of the “Two Brothers and the Gold” is? Why is that – not our cash, or wealth, is required to serve people and God, but only our works? And how many things did Athanasius do wrong?	Fiction
Little Girls Wiser Than Men [download] (“Девчонки умнее стариков”)	1885	“Unless ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.”	Nonfiction
Remorseful Sinner [download] (“Кающийся грешник“)	1886	“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom. And Jesus said to him, verily I say unto thee, now today shalt thou be with me in Heaven.” (The Luke. XXIII, 42, 43)	Fiction
Ending of the legend “Forty years” [download] “Окончание малороссийской легенды ‘Сорок лет’, изданной Костомаровым в 1881 году”	1899	A legend about a rich man who, to acquire wealth, killed his competitor, and about internal punishment which befell him from the moment when he had lost God in him.	Fiction
Stones [download] (“Камни“)	1901	A parable about a common mistake people make – consider themselves righteous – only notice the sins of others and don’t notice their own.	Fiction
Big Dipper [download] (“Большая Медведица (Ковш)”)	1906	A beautiful legend about selflessness and kindness.	Fiction
Ilyas [download] (“Ильяс”)	1885	This story is about a rich man who became poor, and didn’t expect but found his true happiness.	Fiction
Thief’s Son [download] (“Воров сын”)	1906	A story about a man who refused from the jury duty because he felt he doesn’t have right to judge another person.	Fiction
Conversation about Science [download] (“Разговор о науке”)	1876	When we have so many questions about the meaning of human life, how come science can’t answer them?	Nonfiction
Patriotism and Christianity [download] (“Христианство и патриотизм”)	1894	Patriotism is the cruel tradition of an outlived period, which still exists only because the Governments, to maintain their power, persistently excite it among the people. In reality, patriotism is slavery.	Nonfiction
Epilogue to Drózhzhin’s Life and Death [download] (“Жизнь и смерть Евдокима Никитича Дрожжина”)	1895	A strong appeal to people confused in relation to their support of military forces and the use of arms in general.	Nonfiction
Astonishing Creatures [download] (“Удивительные существа”)	1880	A parable about strange creatures (people) screwing up what they’ve got from their Father and worshiping wrong things.	Fiction
Three Sons [download] (“Три сына”)	1881	A parable about how three sons figured out what their father (God) wants from them by saying “live the way I do” for all to be happy.	Fiction
Françoise  [download] (“Франсуаза”)	1891	A heart-breaking story about how lust and drunkenness make people unconscious of their actions, until they wake up to a good and reasonable life.	Fiction
From the Will of the Mexican King [download] (“Из завещания мексиканского царя”)	1906	The great leader calls to people to realize that our life on the earth is only temporary, and so we should instead “strive for the sky, where everything is forever”.	Nonfiction
Two Old Men [download] (“Два старика”)	1885	A beautiful story about how two men were looking to find the grace of God in holy places, but came to realize that God has commanded everyone not to pray but to work our duties by means of love and good works.   “What’s the point of going across the sea to seek God, if lose Him that is within me here?”	Fiction
Address to the Swedish Peace Congress (“Last Message to Mankind”) [download] (“Доклад, приготовленный для конгресса о мире в Стокгольме”)	1910	The congress was originally to take place in August of 1909, but was delayed for a year.  The reason given at the time was a Swedish worker’s strike, but it was widely speculated that the real reason was fear that Tolstoy would actually attend, deliver his speech, and challenge the Congress to be honest for once and demand the abolition of all armies as the only sincere and effective way to obtain world peace.	Nonfiction
Khodynka [download] (“Ходынка”)	1910	A true story about a mass crush that occurred in 1896 at Khodynskoye Pole (North-West of Moscow) in the days of celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, which killed 1,379 people and injured more than 900.
Appeal to the Clergy [download] (“К Духовенству”)	1902	“On one hand, the so-called believers find complete approval of their evil way of life in this teaching, which recognizes those actions and conditions which are most contrary to Christianity as compatible with it. On another hand, unbelievers, arriving at the denial of all religion as a consequence of this teaching, wipe out all distinction between good and evil, preach a doctrine of inequality, egotism, strife, and the oppression of the weak by the strong, and preach this as the highest truth attainable by man.“ Tolstoy.	Nonfiction
Godson [download] (“Крестник”)	1886	A beautiful story-parable about a man finding a way to understand himself, his purpose of life, understanding events around him, consequences of these events, and about sparkling a fire of kindness in himself and teaching it to others.	Fiction
After the Dance [download] (“После бала”)	1903	This story vividly exposes hypocritical life. A shocking contrast is between a general’s outer brilliance and fondness toward his daughter, and his ruthlessness toward a soldier whom he personally walks through a death-threatening torture.	Fiction
Where love is, there god is also [download] (“Где любовь, там и бог”)	1885	This heart touching story is about how an old man, a shoemaker, overcame his grief and bitterness toward God for the loss of his only son, and how he, through his study of Christ’s teaching, found meaning of his life, in caring for other people.	Fiction
Short biography of William Lloyd Garrison by V.Chertkov [download] (“Предисловие к английской биографии Гаррисона”)	1904	An inspiring Biography of the great American Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison, with an Introduction by Lev Tolstoy	Nonfiction
Karma [download] (“Карма”)	1902	This sweet fairy tale highlights two main, open by Christianity, truths: that the life is only in renouncing your own identity – “who will destroy the soul, he will find it,” – and that the blessing for people is only in their communion with God and through God among themselves: “As you are in me and I in you, and they may be one in us.”	Fiction
Imp and the Crust [download] (“Как чертенок краюшку выкупал”)	1886	A sarcastic parable about a Devil corrupted a good man into a swine with the use of wine.	Fiction
Traveler and the Peasant [download] (“Проезжий и крестьянин”)	1909	An eye opening story-dialogue with a common man, leading him to understand that the life he complains about is the natural result of unconscious actions people take, and that solutions to their problems lie in sticking to the right morals, proclaimed by the teaching of Christ.	Nonfiction
Poor People [download] (“Бедные люди”)	1908	A heart touching story, an exemplar of how compassionate and caring people can be for other children, just as they are for their own.	Fiction
Master and Man [download] (“Хозяин и работник”)	1895	A soul-transforming story about a selfish rich man who in a life-threatening situation suddenly turned to be compassionate to his dying companion and saved his life, and realized the vanity of his past cares about the carnal life.	Fiction
Superstition of the State [download] (“Суеверие государства”)	1910	The essence of the lie and the deception of the doctrine of the governmental state	Nonfiction
Need It Be So? [download] (“Неужели это так надо?”)	1900	The root of all the misery of the masses lies in that false doctrine which is taught to them under guise of Christianity.	Nonfiction
It Is You [download] (“Это ты”)	1906	A parable about a tyrant who became enlightened and understood that all people are brothers and connected with each other.	Fiction
Foe is cunning, but God is strong [download] (“Вражье лепко, а божье крепко”)	1886	A nice little parable about how godly goodness always wins over devilish evil.	Fiction
Three Hermits [download] (“Три старца”)	1885	A funny legend about a bishop who spent the whole day training three old man on the “Lord’s Prayer” just to discover that they have already personal connection with God.	Fiction
Esarhaddon, king of Assyria [download] (“Ассирийский царь Асархадон”)	1903	A parable about a king coming to understand the Universal Truth about all people sharing one life among all, unable to destroy a life of others, but able to make life better by destroying barriers dividing beings.	Fiction
Coffee-house of Surat [download] (“Суратская кофейная”)	1892	A tale about how a student of Conscious resolved a dispute among people about whose religions is better, who explained that pride prevents men from agreeing on matters of faith, as pride causes errors and discords among men.	Fiction
Two different versions of the story of a hive with linden cover [download] (“Две различные версии истории улья с лубочной крышкой”)	1900	A hilarious satire – an analogy between our current social order and a bee hive with drones and worker bees.	Fiction
What people live by [download] (“Чем люди живы”)	1881	A heart touching story-parable about an angel coming down to Earth to learn 3 truths: 1) What people have in them? 2) What is not given to people? and 3) What people live by? Find answers in the story!	Fiction
Talk among leisured people (A prologue to the story “Walk in the light”) [download] (“Беседа досужих людей”)	1893	This story makes us think about our typical carnal life, filled with earthly pleasures, which ultimately brings us nowhere and provides no true well-being.	Fiction
Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg [download] (“Зерно с куриное яйцо”)	1886	A parable criticizing the lust of the modern affluent population which, by exploiting others, became lazy and not only keep those serving them in misery but also do not achieve their own physical well-being they are after.	Fiction
Apostle John and the Robber [download] (“Апостол Иоанн и разбойник”)	1888	The story teaches unlimited compassion toward human mistakes in life, which gives great benefits to both sides.	Fiction
Three questions [download] (“Три вопроса”)	1903	A couple of examples in this story remind us that we should be able to give ourselves up to godly work i.e. to helping people, – by observing, thinking, and being ready to put aside our own priorities.	Fiction
Forward to article “On Revolution” (written by V. G. Tchertkoff)  [download] (“Предисловие к статье В.Г.Черткова «О революции»”)	1904	In this article, Lev Tolstoy elaborates on the most effective way of achieving true FREEDOM, and on the CONFUSION of concepts, maintained by governments, which prevents people from reaching higher consciousness.	Nonfiction
January 12 Education Day [download] (“Праздник просвещения 12-го января”)	1888	Tolstoy wittingly draws a comparison between the least vs. the most educated people. For both groups, any holiday is just an excuse to getting stuffed and drunk, even the Day of Education. They got so corrupt that forget that education which is not based on moral life is never enlightenment but will only darkness and corruption.	Nonfiction
A Hut and a Palace [download] (“Избушка и дворец”)	1880	A little story about a king who knew one shouldn’t “not to do others what he doesn’t want to be done to himself”.	Fiction
Why the Christians are in such distress now [download] (“Почему христианские народы находятся в бедственном положении”)	1907	The reason people are in such distress now is they’ve lost the single necessary for peaceful, agreeable, happy cohabitation condition: belief in same principles of life and common to all people laws of actions – after the teaching that carried these essential principles – the teaching of Christ – was hidden from people by the false doctrine of Paul and Church.   Understand how and why this has happened, what the difference between the teaching of Christ and of Paul/Church is, and what we must do for our salvation now!	Nonfiction
Walk In the Light While There Is Light [download] (“Ходите в свете, пока есть свет”)	1887	A beautiful, deep story of early Christian times, about what constitutes good life, and what are the terrible blunders we do when live typical worldly life, and what can we do to find the right path.	Fiction
About Art [download] (“Об искусстве”)	1894	This short helpful essay gives us a quick guidance on how to evaluate a work of art.	Nonfiction
On Public Education [download] (“О народном образовании”)	1874	It is enough to look at one and the same child at home, in the street, or at school: now you see a vivacious, curious child, seeking instruction in everything, as he would seek pleasure, clearly and frequently strongly expressing his thoughts in his own words; now again you see a worn-out, crushed being, with an expression of fatigue, terror, and boredom, repeating with the lips only strange words in a strange language, – a being whose soul has, like a snail, retreated into its house. What’s wrong with this picture and what needs to be done?	Nonfiction
By accident [download] (“Нечаянно”)	1909	A beautiful little tale – a comparison between two troubled actions and their workarounds, of adults and little children, immoral and moral solutions.	Fiction
Confession [download] (“Исповедь”)	1879	This is the epic essay in which Lev Tolstoy tells his story what led him at his 50 to faith and what drove him away from churches. This is just the beginning of the tremendous work he dedicated afterwards to humanity.	Nonfiction
The law of love and the law of violence [download] (“Закон насилия и закон любви”)	1908	As a result of the perpetuated deception, people can no longer see the connection between their oppression and their participation in violence. In this book, Tolstoy exposes this deception and compares two: 1) teaching of the law of love – Christianity in its true sense, which recognizes love as a Supreme law and accepts on exceptions, and 2) the ancient law of violence, which leads us nowhere but to submission to violence and taking part in it. Each person must take time to understand this!	Nonfiction
Non-Activity [download] (“Неделание”)	1893	People must pause their incessant activities, to see the futility of their busyness; and the Christian understanding of life will inevitably settle in their minds. Once a change in thoughts happens, it will echo in people’s feelings & actions & lives. And the Kingdom of God will establish, which He, who sent them in this life, demands from people. Only then they will find that well-being that was promised to them.	Nonfiction
Gospel in Brief [download] [mp3] (“Краткое изложение Eвангелия”)	1883	This is the shortened version of the “The Four Gospels Harmonized and Translated” by Lev Tolstoy, which was a tremendous investigative work. Tolstoy has extracted from the Bible Christ’s teaching on morality in its purest form, and left out false interpretations of the Church and miracles. The result is this essential manual on true human life.	Nonfiction
The teaching of Christ, narrated for children [download] (“Учение Христа, изложенное для детей”)	1908	The Gospels translated by Lev Tolstoy, clarified and simplified for children. It is the best way to study the teaching of Christ for adults, too!   Extracted from the Bible, the teaching of Christ is the teaching on morality in its purest form, without false interpretations of it by the Church and miracles.	Nonfiction
My Religion – What I Believe [download] (“В чём моя вера?”)	1884	In this book, Lev Tolstoy summarizes the essence of the commandments of Christ from a practical perspective, explains reasons why following them is the only true, godly, way to salvation and freedom.	Nonfiction
On the Importance of the Upcoming Moral Revolution [download] (“О значении русской революции”)	1906	Must read to understand that whoever submits to government laws, he commits a great sin, and denies the law of God. People must wake up from the hypnosis, and remember that we are all sons and servants of God, and therefore can and must obey only Him, and His Law is written in our own consciences.	Nonfiction
Manual labor and mental activity [download] (“Письмо к французу – Ромену Роллану – О ручном труде – Ручной труд и умственная деятельность”)	1887	Though we, office workers, no longer see among us those farmers who provide us with food and clothing, it just means the truth became more obscure. Your taxes finance armies that keep the farmers in ghetto conditions, which affords us these negligible costs for our sustenance. This writing is an immediate “what you must do” if you’re serious about growing your morality, your soul. As a bare minimum, we need clear awareness of how things are in this world, and not hide in the delusion of the greatness of our professions that actually produce nothing.	Nonfiction
The Slavery of Our Times [download] (“Рабство нашего времени”)	1900	Slavery results from laws; laws are made by governments. The only means to abolish governments is the exposure of this fraud, which enables a small number of people to exercise violence upon a larger number.	Nonfiction
Posthumous notes of the hermit Fëdor Kuzmích [download] (“Посмертные записки старца Федора Кузмича”)	1905	This true yet little-known story about an Emperor who gave up his highest position in the world to withdrew into wilderness. It’s the story which those in power don’t want you to know, because it goes against their propaganda that happiness is determined by wealth and power. Can there be a better proof of God than such inner force, which alone makes no earthly carnal values worthy of striving for?	Nonfiction
The Kingdom Of God Is Within You [download] (“Царство божие внутри вас”)	1893	Christianity not as a Mystic Religion but a Renewed Understanding of Life	Nonfiction