"Uncluttered by the complexities of plot and character that daunt so many readers of the longer Russian masterpieces, Tolstoy's tales illumine eternal truths with forceful brevity. While inspired by a sense of spiritual certainty, their narrative quality, subtle humor, and visionary power lift them far above the common run of "religious" literature. Moralists purport to tell us what our lives should mean, and how we should live them. Tolstoy, on the other hand, has an uncanny gift for simply conveying what it means to be truly alive."
(from the publisher)

Contents:
- Walk in the Light While There Is Light
- God Sees the Truth, but Waits
- A Prisoner in the Caucasus
- The Bear-Hunt
- What Men Live By
- A Spark Neglected Burns the House
- Two Old Men
- Where Love is, God Is
- The Story of Ivan the Fool
- Evil Allures, but God Endures
- Little Girls Wiser then Men
- Ilyas
- The Three Hermits
- The Imp and the Crust
- How Much Land Does a Man Need?
- A Grain as Big as a Hen's Egg
- The Godson
- The Repentant Soldier
- The Empty Drum
- The Coffeehouse of Surat
- Too Dear!
- Esarhadden, King of Assyria
- Work, Death, and Sickness: a Legend
- Three Questions