As the revolutionary leader who conquered China, Mao Tse-tung was undoubtedly a great strategist. The parallels between Chairman Mao's thoughts on strategy and those of Sun Tzu belie a direct lineage of culture and genius spanning twenty-five centuries. This hardcover special edition of "The Art of War" by Mao Tse-tung contains, for the first time in a single volume, his four most important discourses on warfare: "Problems of Strategy in China's Revolutionary War""Problems of Strategy in Guerrilla War Against Japan""On Protracted War""Problems of War and Strategy"Other special editions in this series dealing with the subject of warfare and strategy include: The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special EditionThe Art of War by Baron de Jomini - Special EditionThe Art of War & The Prince by Machiavelli - Special Edition

The teachings of Confucius have had as great an impact on the culture of the Far East as the Bible has had on that of West. As they are presented in this deluxe, hardcover volume, "The Teachings of Confucius - Special Edition" consists of three books in one volume: "The Analects," "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean."
"The Analects" is the most important of the teachings of Confucius. It is a collection of speeches and discussions between Confucius and his various disciples that illustrate his precepts: that anyone, regardless of his station in life, could become a superior man by living a virtuous life.
"The Great Learning" is a protocol for living, even the humblest actions of everyday living. It is embodied by the practice illustrated by the "Seven Steps."
"The Doctrine of the Mean" deals with the means of achieving perfect virtue by following the middle way. It is a Heavenly prescription of the golden path by which learning and teaching ultimately unfold into perfect virtue.
Like other great teachers, Confucius advocated action based on empathy; on practicing "The Golden Rule" by only doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. His aim was to improve the value and quality of life for all mankind.

Herein are contained the sardonic definitions published by Ambrose Bierce as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906; augmented, edited and republished by the illustrious author in 1911 as The Devil's Dictionary. Unlike other editions which modify, tone down and make moronic additions to Bierce's original Devil's Dictionary, presented here are the complete contents of the 1911 edition without deletions, modifications or embellishments, of any kind, which might diminish the impact of the original politically incorrect collection; hence, the redundant descriptive addition to the title as "Complete and Unabridged" which would surely have caused the author to go ballistic if he were still alive. Ambrose Bierce was an extraordinary individual: a veteran of the American Civil War, renowned writer, political pundit, social commentator and, in many ways, a philosopher who was ahead of his time. His mysterious disappearance, in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution, was the subject of the movie: Old Gringo. Shortly before he vanished, he wrote to a friend: "Good-bye - if you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags please know that I think that is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico - ah, that is euthanasia." His own definition of a cynic suited him well: "CYNIC, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision."

"Hellenica is Xenophon's chronicle of the history of the Greeks, or the "Hellenes" from 411 to 359 BCE. It is a continuation of Thucydides' narrative, "History of the Peloponnesian War." This history covers the last seven years of the war, and its aftermath. It is one of the few surviving narratives from this period and is generally considered to be the most authoritative. The author Xenophon was born in Athens about 430BCE. It may be inferred from passages in the Hellenica that he fought at Arginusae (406), and that he was present at the return of Alcibiades (408), the trial of the Generals, and the overthrow of the Thirty. In 401, being invited by his friend Proxenus to join the expedition of the younger Cyrus against his brother, Artaxerxes II of Persia, he at once accepted the offer. Of the expedition itself, he has given a full and detailed account in his "Anabasis: The March Up Country," sometimes called "The Persian Expedition." At Coroneia (394) he fought with the Spartans against the Athenians and Thebans, for which his fellow citizens decreed his banishment. The Spartans provided a home for him at Scillus in Ellis until Sparta and Athens became allies whereupon he then made his home at Corinth. The year of his death is thought to be 355 BCE. This restored translation contains all 7 complete books of Xenophon's narrative, including an indexed Table of Contents listing page numbers for each year of the war. This edition is recommended for teachers and students of history, classical literature and languages. Excerpt from the Table of Contents All Rights Reserved Book I BCE 411: Thymochares arrived from Athens... 1 BCE 410: The Athenians escaped to Cardia... 2 BCE 409: The Athenians fortified Thoricus... 4 BCE 408: The temple of Athena set on fire... 8 BCE 407: Phamabazus passes the winter at Gordium... 10 BCE 406: Callicratidas replaces Lysander... 16

Surely pirates, taking them in their broadest sense, are as much entitled to a biographical dictionary of their own as are politicians, clergymen, race-horses, or artists in ferro-concrete, who all have their own "Who's Who"? This volume does not pretend to be a history of piracy, but is simply an attempt to gather together, from various sources, particulars of those redoubtable pirates and buccaneers whose names have been handed down to us in a desultory way. To write a whole history of piracy would be a great undertaking, but a very interesting one. Piracy must have begun in the far, dim ages, and perhaps when some naked savage, paddling himself across a tropical river, met with another adventurer on a better tree-trunk, or carrying a bigger bunch of bananas, the first act of piracy was committed. Indeed, piracy must surely be the third oldest profession in the world. Herein are contained brief accounts of some of the most famous pirates and buccaneers who have left their marks upon history. Their exploits with their attending morals and motives were surely many and varied. Among their ranks heroes and villains were no less uncommon than among those who found themselves in other professions.

Frederick Litchfield created an enduring classic study of functional art with his Illustrated History of Furniture. This reprinting is presented out of a deep appreciation for the excellent scholarship and many illuminating insights that he so generously shared. The first chapter, which refers to Ancient Furniture and covers a period of several centuries, is introductory to those that follow, rather than a serious attempt to examine the history of the furniture during that space of time. The fourth chapter, which deals with a period of some hundred and fifty years, from the time of King James the First until that of Chippendale and his contemporaries, and the last three chapters, are more fully descriptive than some others, partly because trustworthy information to these times was more accessible, and partly because it is probable that English readers will feel greater interest in the furniture of which they are the subject. The French meubles de luxe, from the latter half of the seventeenth century until the Revolution, are also treated more fully than the furniture of other periods and countries, on account of the interest which has been manifested in this description of the cabinet maker's and metal mounter's work. Evidence of this appreciation may be found in the enormous prices realized at notable auction sales, when such furniture has been offered for competition to wealthy connoisseurs. Such furniture cannot be cheap certainly, but the real cost is sometimes borne by the artist who produces, rather than by the man who may happen to buy it. It is often forgotten that the price paid is that of the lives and sustenance of the workers and their families.

The teachings of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius have had as great an impact on the culture of the Far East as The Bible has had on the culture of the West. As presented here, "The Teachings of Confucius" consists of "The Analects," "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean."

Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is a literary classic. It continues to be the most popular of the many novels by the prolific Nobel Prize laureate. The touching story of one man's search for the meaning of life, for enlightenment and knowledge is related with a graceful simplicity that is common only to great literature.

From the original German, Siddhartha has been translated into most of the world's languages and has enjoyed great success. Hesse's style of writing - clear, straightforward and direct - has made the tale of Siddhartha's search for truth and wisdom accessible to a wide variety of readers around the globe.

To assist students, scholars and others who might be interested in a better understanding of Hesse's elegantly simple prose, this bilingual edition has been assembled with the English translation on the facing page mirroring the German text paragraph by paragraph. Those familiar with both languages will appreciate the opportunity to read this great work in both languages and will surely marvel at the directness with which Hermann Hesse's German translates into English. Those not familiar with both languages will be surprised at how very similar the two languages are. Those wishing to improve their own language skills, in either language, could hardly choose a better example of fine writing than that of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha.

This complete edition of Caesar's Commentaries contains all eight of Caesar's books on the Gallic War as well as all three of his books on the Civil War masterfully translated into English by W. A. MacDevitt. Caesar's Commentaries are an outstanding account of extraordinary events by one of the most exceptional men in the history of the world. Julius Caesar himself was one of the most eminent writers of the age in which he lived. His commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars are written with a purity, precision, and perspicuity, which command approbation. They are elegant without affectation, and beautiful without ornament. Of the two books which he composed on Analogy, and those under the title of Anti-Cato, scarcely any fragment is preserved; but we may be assured of the justness of the observations on language, which were made by an author so much distinguished by the excellence of his own compositions. His poem entitled The Journey, which was probably an entertaining narrative, is likewise totally lost. All of Caesar's works that remain intact are contained in this edition of his commentaries.

It is to the honor of Caesar, that when he had obtained the supreme power, he exercised it with a degree of moderation beyond what was generally expected by those who had fought on the side of the Republic. His time was almost entirely occupied with public affairs, in the management of which, though he employed many agents, he appears to have had none in the character of actual minister.

Caesar deprecated a lingering death, and wished that his own might be sudden and speedy. And the day before he died, the conversation at supper, in the house of Marcus Lepidus, turning upon what wasthe most eligible way of dying, he gave his opinion in favor of a death that is sudden and unexpected. He died in the fifty-sixth year of his age, and was ranked amongst the Gods.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is an account of the early history of Britain. It was originally compiled on the orders of King Alfred the Great, approximately A.D. 890, and subsequently maintained and added to by generations of anonymous scribes until the middle of the 12th Century. The original language is Anglo-Saxon (Old English), but later entries are essentially Middle English in tone. It consists of 9 differing manuscripts that collectively trace the outlines of British history. Together, even with their inconsistencies, they comprise the best source of factual information from an era shrouded in myth. For a millennium or so, historians have been reading this landmark reference to distinguish between fact and fantasy in the complex history of Britain. It has established the standard time-line from pre-history into the middle ages. This edition is a translation from the Old English to a more readable Modern English by the Reverend James Ingram. His scholarly view is amply demonstrated in his introduction that traces the early fusion of The Doomsday Book and the Saxon Chronicle into this work that has come to be known as The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

"Beowulf In Old English And New English" contains, just as the title states, both versions as a Facing Page Translation. The original Beowulf manuscript is the oldest surviving document in what has come to be the English Language. It is also an exciting saga - full of action, adventure, heroic deeds, mystery and magic. It is magnificent literature.

The Old English version is a classic masterpiece of Western Literature which, due to the evolution of the language, has become very difficult for most readers. To facilitate understanding, to make it easier for the first time reader to appreciate the beauty of the original language, the New English translation by the renowned scholar Professor Francis B. Gummere is provided on alternate pages facing the original Old English text.

This arrangement makes it possible for the modern reader to immediately grasp the content of the saga and begin to see, on the facing page, the complex beauty of the original poem. It also gives the more advanced students an appreciation of the skill of the translator and the opportunity to extract new shades of meaning from the original text.

By way of introduction, this volume also contains a short summary of the saga. A table of contents, not part of the original, has also been included which, in itself, provides a series of guide posts to help follow the intricacies of the story.

Overcoming the difficulty of understanding the original text is the primary aim of this book. Those who are already familiar with Beowulf will surely agree that it is well worth the effort.