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Amy asked this question about War and Peace:
I'm trying to find the best translation available on kindle as I live on an island with no bookshops or viable postal service. Any advice?
Roshan Marlon Richard Pevear Larissa Volokhonsky ( Translation Date-2007) (Vintage Classics)
Anthony Briggs ( Translation Date-2005) (Penguin Classics)
Rosemary Edmon…mǰRichard Pevear Larissa Volokhonsky ( Translation Date-2007) (Vintage Classics)
Anthony Briggs ( Translation Date-2005) (Penguin Classics)
Rosemary Edmonds (Translation Date-1957)
Aylmer and Louise Maude (Translation Date-1922)
Constance Garnett (Translation Date-1904)

These are the common translations you can find. I have tried chapter comparisons and actually read the book, and found Anthony Briggs one is the excellent version when it comes to the beauty of the language. Penguin used Rosemary Edmonds translation for almost 50 years and switched to Anthony Briggs one. P&L one is alright, but I felt its kind of flat, but sentence flow is good. Aylmer and Louise one is easy to read. Constance Garnett and Aylmer Louise translations are in public domain now. Garnett one is very readable but has some minimal errors here and there.

People often talk about faithfulness to the original Russian. But if a sentence is capable of reproducing 100% of the original meaning, that's what matters. When Tolstoy was trying to make a joke, translation should give us an appropriate joke.

So if I rate these translations, number one for me is Anthony Briggs one. Second Aylmer and Louise Maude, third Richard Pevear Larissa Volokhonsky. (less)
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War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy
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