Middle Eastern Books

The Art of War

Sun Tzu

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Total reviews: 280 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"All warfare is based on deception. Thus, when able to attack, we must seem unable. Hold out bait to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is quick to anger, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant."
Written before Alexander the Great was born, this Chinese treatise on war has become one of the most influential works on the subject. Read widely in the east since its appearance 2500 years ago, The Art of War first came to the west with a French Jesuit in1782. It has been studied by generals from Napoleon to Rommel and it is still required reading in most military academies of the world.
Although it was meant to be a practical guide to warfare in the age of chariots, many corporate and government leaders have successfully applied its lessons to battles in the modern dog-eat-dog world. Sun Tzu covers all aspects of war in his time, from strategy and tactics to the proper use of terrain and spies. In this version, Sun Tzu's lessons are brought to life with commentaries from ancient Chinese history, which illustrate both the philosophy and the principles of his teachings.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Marjane Satrapi

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Total reviews: 172 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Notable Book
A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”
A San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times Best-seller

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed and Forgery in the Holy Land

Nina Burleigh

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Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Israel

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Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In 2002, an ancient limestone box called the James Ossuary was trumpeted on the world's front pages as the first material evidence of the existence of Jesus Christ. Today it is exhibit number one in a forgery trial involving millions of dollars worth of high-end, Biblical era relics, some of which literally re-wrote Near Eastern history and which could lead to the incarceration of some very wealthy men and embarrass major international institutions, including the British Museum and Sotheby's.

Set in Israel, with its 30,000 archaeological digs crammed with biblical-era artifacts, and full of colorful characters—scholars, evangelicals, detectives, and millionaire collectors—Unholy Business tells the incredibly story of what the Israeli authorities have called "the fraud of the century." It takes readers into the murky world of Holy Land relic dealing, from the back alleys of Jerusalem's Old City to New York's Fifth Avenue, and reveals biblical archaeology as it is pulled apart by religious believers on one side and scientists on the other.

Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

Yamamoto Tsunetomo

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Total reviews: 53 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves") is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction-in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido-the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence.
The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and possesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima.
This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.
Hagakure was featured prominently in the film Ghost Dog, by Jim Jarmusch.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Marjane Satrapi

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Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In Persepolis, heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the freshest and most original memoirs of our day,” Marjane Satrapi dazzled us with her heartrending memoir-in-comic-strips about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Here is the continuation of her fascinating story. In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging.

Finding that she misses her home more than she can stand, Marjane returns to Iran after graduation. Her difficult homecoming forces her to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone in her absence and her shame at what she perceives as her failure in Austria. Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and begins studying art at a university. However, the repression and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question whether she can have a future in Iran.

As funny and poignant as its predecessor, Persepolis 2 is another clear-eyed and searing condemnation of the human cost of fundamentalism. In its depiction of the struggles of growing up—here compounded by Marjane’s status as an outsider both abroad and at home—it is raw, honest, and incredibly illuminating.

Bushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics)

Tsunetomo Yamamoto

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Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bushido or Hagakure??? 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Hagakure: The Way of the SamuraiBushido: The Soul of Japan (Dodo Press)

This book (Bushido: The Way of the Samurai) really needs to have a different title. At first glance I thought it was the classic Bushido, especially as it is the first book to pop up when one searches Bushido on Amazon. This book is NOT the classic Bushido; it is a translation of the Hagakure.

The Japanese martial philosophy book, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, is NOT the same book as the equally classic Japanese martial philosophy book, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, by Inazo Nitobé. Indeed, Bushido was written nearly 200 years after Hagakure.

Just a heads up for anyone that is looking for the real Bushido.

Editorial Review:

In eighteenth-century Japan, Tsunetomo Yamamoto created the Hagakure, a document that served as the basis for samurai warrior behavior. Its guiding principles greatly influenced the Japanese ruling class and shaped the underlying character of the Japanese psyche, from businessmen to soldiers.

Bushido is the first English translation of the Hagakure. This work provides a powerful message aimed at the mind and spirit of the samurai warrior. It offers beliefs that are difficult for the Western mind to embrace, yet fascinating in their pursuit of absolute service. With Bushido, one can better put into perspective Japan’s historical path and gain greater insight into the Japan of today.

The Spartans: An Epic History

Paul Cartledge

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Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The world of the ancient Spartans made clearer. 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

These Spartans of ancient Greece are a very interesting lot. Most writings and opinions of this society seem to come from Athens, usually they prove to be rivals of Sparta or from Athenian expatriates like Xenophon. A lifetime of practice in hunting, combat training and preparation for war certainly defined who and what the Spartans were, fueled by the legends of Heracles and other god-men of fame, this society saw itself as heroic in their own time. Victorious in battle and in the Olympic games, usually called upon by other Greek city-states to take the lead in war yet profoundly distrustful of the world outside of Laconia. The rights of women, children and even slaves could be considered progressive in Sparta by the standards of the ancient world. This is impressive considering the hyper-masculine standards the Spartans imposed on themselves and the fact that these warrior-heroes seem to be profoundly religious at the same time. Cartledge does a fine job of bringing these people, now long dead to life. I do not personally buy the authors belief these Spartan men were homosexual, considering their brutal and fanatical upbringing, their view and treatment of their mothers, wives and daughters and the strict obedience to Lycurgus laws proclaiming such activity as Foul and abhorent.
Most of what Cartledge comments on seems to have the ring of truth. Is it worth your money and time to have it on the shelf? Yes! It is extremely interesting and it helps to explain how these men once lived and died.

Editorial Review:

This title attempts to deconstruct the image of the Spartans as mythical and unknown, to present them as they say themselves - as warrior heroes, living exemplars of the values of self-sacrifice, communal endeavour and achievement against all odds. Paul Cartledge examines the evolution of their ancient society and culture, one that was significantly masculine but that allowed women an unusually dominant and powerful role. The history of this people, whose ideas have attracted many societies over the centuries, is defined in this book.

The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia

Frances Wood

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Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Silk Road, a series of ancient trade routes stretching across Central Asia to Europe, evokes exotic images of camel trains laden with bales of fine Chinese silk, spices, and perfume, of desert oases surrounded by snow-capped mountains, of bustling markets thronging with travellers buying and selling grapes, coriander, Baltic amber, and Mediterranean coral. Along this route, silks were sent from China to ancient Rome; princesses were dispatched in marriage alliances across the deserts; bandits and thieves launched attacks throughout history.
Covering more than 5,000 years, this book, lavishly illustrated with photographs, manuscripts, and paintings from the collections of the British Library and other museums worldwide, presents an overall picture of the history and cultures of the Silk Road. It also contains many previously unpublished photographs by the great explorers Stein, Hedin, and Mannerheim.
More than just a trade route, the Silk Road witnessed the movement of cultural influences. Frances Wood traces the story of the civilizations and ideas that flourished and moved along its vast geographical expanse. Indian Buddhism was carried into China on the Silk Road, initiating a long history of pilgrimages along the lonely desert routes; Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity, and Islam also made their way eastwards along its route.
The nineteenth century saw a new interest in Central Asia and the Silk Road, as Russia and Britain vied for power on the frontiers of Afghanistan. A new breed of explorer, part archaeologist, part cartographer, part spy, was seen on the Silk Road, while some of the ancient cities, long buried in sand-blown dunes, began to give up their secrets. This book brings the history of the Silk Road alive--from its beginnings to the present day, revealing a rich history still in the making.

Shahnameh: The Persian Book Of Kings (Slipcase Set)

Abolqasem Ferdowsi, Dick Davis (translator)

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Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Among the great works of world literature, perhaps one of the least familiar to English readers is the Shahnameh: ThePersian Book of Kings, the national epic of Persia. This prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi between the years 980 and 1010, tells the story of pre- Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of Creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century.

As a window on the world, Shahnameh belongs in the company of such literary masterpieces as Dante’s Divine Comedy, the plays of Shakespeare, the epics of Homer— classics whose reach and range bring whole cultures into view. In its pages are unforgettable moments of national triumph and failure, human courage and cruelty, blissful love and bitter grief.

In tracing the roots of Iran, Shahnameh initially draws on the depths of legend and then carries its story into historical times, when ancient Persia was swept into an expanding Islamic empire. Now Dick Davis, the greatest modern translator of Persian poetry, has revisited that poem, turning the finest stories of FerdowsiÂ’s original into an elegant combination of prose and verse. For the first time in English, in the most complete form possible, readers can experience Shahnameh in the same way that Iranian storytellers have lovingly conveyed it in Persian for the past thousand years.

A Book of Five Rings

Miyamoto Musashi

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Total reviews: 116 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Book of three stars 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book left me with a double feeling. Happiness, about being able to read about ancient wisdom and the sense it all made. Sadness, not being able to apply all knowledge in our era.

As Sun Tzu's Art of War was written even more abstract than this book, I found it easier to convert its knowledge into practice. As this book is more focussed on the inner-self of a human being, I strongly recommend you first read some Zen books before digging in on this one. Then I would recommend Zen Mind, Beginners Mind.

The knowledge of this book is definitly four-star material, but this translation into English misses out on some key points. Excellent to read, but don't expect any miracles without years of dedicated training.

Editorial Review:

Translated by V. Harris. Japan's answer to the Harvard MBA...Written over three centuries ago by a Samurai warrior, the book has been hailed as a limitless source of psychological insight for businessmen-or anyone who relies on strategy and tactics for outwitting the competition.