The Russian novelist and moral philosopher Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) ranks as one of the world''s great writers, and his "War and Peace" has been called the greatest novel ever written. The purpose of all true creative art, he believed, is to teach. But the message in all his stories is presented with such humour that the reader hardly realises that it is strongly didactic.The seven parts into which this book is divided include the best known Tolstoy stories. "God Sees the Truth, but Waits" and "A Prisoner in the Caucasus" which Tolstoy himself considered as his best; "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" depicting the greed of a peasant for land; the most brilliantly told parable, "Ivan the Fool" - these are all contained in this volume.Contents: The GodsonThe Empty DrumHow Much Land does a Man Need?The Repentant SinnerThe Three HermitsA Grain as Big as a Hen''s EggThe Imp and the CrustToo Dear!The Coffee-House of SuratThe Prisoner of the CaucasusThe Bear-HuntGod Sees the Truth, but WaitsIvan The FoolWork, Death and SicknessEsarhaddon, King of AssyriaThree QuestionsIlyásEvil Allures, but Good EnduresLittle Girls Wiser than MenA Spark Neglected Burns the HouseTwo Old MenWhere Love is, God isWhat Men Live by