A Goodreads user
A Goodreads user asked:

Which edition is the best? I would really like one with an index or footnotes.

To answer questions about War and Peace, please sign up.
Lucy Day Werts People have different purposes in reading, and different esthetic taste, but here’s what I recommend based on what I’ve learned about the available War and Peace translations.

My first choice would be the Maude/Mandelker translation. This edition from Oxford is now the most recent, and seems like a good balance between smooth, non-modernized English and text updated to correct errors. It contains notes and other reader aids, and is available as a hardcover, paperback, or ebook.

Fans of Pevear & Volokhonsky will choose theirs, as it claims to be the most authentic, albeit at the cost of smoothness. Their edition also has lots of notes and extras.

The Briggs translation also has notes but strikes me as much less academic/scholarly in its audience than either the Mandelker or the P&V edition; The Dunnigan translation is also marketed as accessible, and lacks notes.

For links and to find out more about the various translations of War and Peace, visit We Love Translations: World Literature in English, at:

https://welovetranslations.com/2021/0...
Nich I read the newer publication by Pevear & Volokhonsky Translation, hardcover it had footnotes, and index of historical figures, and translations because they speak a lot of French and some German and Italian I think too. It's on amazon with a nice blue cover and a small circle image of an orthodox church. I loved the cover too
Image for War and Peace
Rate this book
Clear rating

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more