This is a collection of 4 stories by Leo Tolstoy, all dealing with the question asked in the title of the first story: What Does Man Live By. What is the purpose of life? How are we expected to live with others? What is all of this about anyway? And the answer to that question by the way is answered in a style that is uniquely and perfectly Tolstoy's. But these are not essays, but well written stories that tell about real people as they live real lives. The first story is broken into two parts and but is is read by the same person. Also the last story, How Much Land Does A Man Need has been broken into two sections for easier reading and it is also read by the same person for continuity and ease of understanding. The two stories in the middle, are much shorter but just as fascinating. Tolstoy was a deeply spiritual man and he always brought out the spiritual side of all the myriad questions he dealt with. (Summary by phil chenevert)