by Leo Tolstoy, illustrated and translation by Valeria Zecchini

Chance, chance, nothing but chance. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, titan of nineteenth century literature, gave another titan, Napoleon Bonaparte, little credit for his doings. His victories in battle, his political domination, his conquests — all due to chance.

Tolstoy’s opinion of “the great man” is not in doubt. His remarks toward the end of War and Peace are scathing. The novel follows several Russian families through the Napoleonic wars, but Tolstoy himself, it sometimes seems, is following Napoleon. The curtain is finally pulled down altogether in the First and Second Epilogues. Tolstoy addresses his reader, and makes his case against Napoleon, but really, against the Great Man Theory.

Whether Tolstoy’s assessment can be considered good history, it must be considered a masterpiece of political writing. In a few pages, Tolstoy threads a brilliant case against conquerors, opportunists, tyrants and, most of all, so-called great men. The brilliance of his thought matches the sharpness of his prose, and though Napoleon may have conquered Europe, it could be Tolstoy who has the final word.

No Reply is especially excited to publish this edition in the original Russian, using the Cyrillic script, alongside a new English translation, and original illustrations.

ARTIST NOTES

Leo Tolstoy needs no introduction. He was the author of Anna Karenina and War and Peace, which vie neck-in-neck on many critics’ lists for the greatest novel ever written. He is under-appreciated, however, as a historian and critic. This short passage, from the epilogue of War and Peace, highlights Tolstoy’s multifaceted genius.

Valeria Zecchini is a Russo-Italian artist, polyglot, and scholar of European politics. She brings a new translation to these overlooked passages, which aims to elucidate Tolstoy’s meaning to English readers. The original Russian is dense and circuitous, and from it Zecchini has produced crystalline English prose – as dense and brilliant as the original, but clear too. Her translation is complimented (with a touch of irony) by six woodblock portraits of “the great man” himself.

EDITION NOTES

• The edition is limited to 376 copies and is offered in three states.

• The fourth imprint of No Reply Press, Spring 2020.

• Book measures 5 ¾ by 8 ¾ inches.

• Typeset in Minion, designed by Robert Slimbach.

Hardbound

• Limited to 345 copies, numbered 6 through 350.

• Printed by hand on felt-finished stock using a Vandercook Universal I cylinder press at Letterpress PDX in Portland, Oregon.

• Hand-bound in red cloth, with a woodblock portrait inset on the cover, and Ingres antique endpapers.

• Signed by the “translating illustrator,” the publisher, and the printer.

Hardbound Bütten

• Approximately thirty hardbound copies were printed on Zerkall-bütten (mouldmade paper). Collectors who wish to upgrade the paper on their copy are invited to select this option. All other details remain the same as on standard hardbound copies.

• Bütten copies include a black-and-red cloth slipcase, different than the standard hardbound slipcase.

De Luxe

• Limited to 26 copies, lettered A through Z.

• Printed by hand on Zerkall mouldmade paper using a Vandercook Universal I cylinder press at Letterpress PDX in Portland, Oregon.

• Hand-bound in quarter Moroccan leather with marbled papers by Russian artist Katy Savelyeva made specifically for the edition. Gray and red marbling under a rivered lacquer finish which variously catches the light, representing the invisible flow of history over apparent human events.

• Signed by the “translating illustrator,” the publisher, and the printer.

“De Granduer”

• Limited to 5 copies, numbered 1 through 5.

• Printed by hand on Zerkall mouldmade paper using a Vandercook Universal I cylinder press at Letterpress PDX in Portland, Oregon.

• Hand-bound in half Moroccan leather with marbled papers by Russian artist Katy Savelyeva made specifically for the edition.

• Signed by the “translating illustrator,” the publisher, and the printer.

• Housed in a red cloth solander box with suede lining.