People sort of look at me as if I am being arrogant when I say that I try and reread War and Peace every couple of years, but it really is so good, you get completely lost in it. Andrei, Peter, and Natasha are so real, and the whole story is so vast. I admit to skipping some of the theoretical chapters from time to time (enough already). If you can get maps of the Napoleonic period and the battles, it is even better.

The BBC War and Peace is perhaps the best transfer of a book to the screen I have ever seen. It is now available on video for about 100 dollars. Do yourself a favour and rent or buy it. If you haven't read the book, it is the nearest thing. Morag Hood, who was Natasha, died a few months ago, of what I am not sure, she wasn't very old. A great pity, she was so beautiful, and the perfect Natasha.


I forgot "Crime and Punishment" on my top list. I remember reading it at 16 and realizing that I was capable of terrible things. Always a good thing to know, when you are young and idealistic.
yours, Peter T.