„He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.“ - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
 
The famous story about Anna Karenina, told by Leo Tolstoy is until today one of the most important examples of world literature and without a doubt, one of the most heartwrenching and dramatic stories about love and loss of all time. Tolstoy himself called it his "first true novel".
The two volumes offered here were published in 1889 by Walter Scott in London as the first complete british edition, bound in beautiful blue cloth with gold coloured imprints and titles. The books are in acceptable condition, with the spines a partly loose, with cracks and the covers got bumps and scratches. The inner book has become yellowed with stains, but is otherwise complete and in good condition. 
The complex story of the novel Anna Karenina is divided up into 8 parts, with more than a dozen main characters, making it complex and really interesting to read. Tolstoy covers themes like faith, betrayal, marriage, love and family dynamics in the context of the imperial russian society, moved by desire and at times, were the distinction of city and country life became an existential question.
The historical backround is formed by the liberal reforms initiated of Tsar Alexander II. of Russia and the social changes that followed. All in all an all classic literature in a beautiful edition.