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Philosophical Books and Books on Politics

Ponder the issues of life, existence and knowledge with classic books by some of the greatest thinkers in all history. Political theory, philosophical treaties from the ancient Greeks to the modern era and more are included in the Folio Society’s collection of beautiful books on Philosophy and Politics. Each title features carefully researched or original commissioned illustrations, and presented in specially designed hardback covers. See below for the full list of Folio Philosophy and Politics books.

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The Analects                       book

The Analects

Confucius

In this edition, illustrated with beautiful Sung Dynasty paintings that reflect Confucian subjects and ideas, every reader can profit from the timeless philosophy that remains at the heart of Chinese civilisation and tradition.

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The Anatomy of Melancholy book

The Anatomy of Melancholy

Robert Burton

Unclassifiable, inimitable, clever and wonderfully idiosyncratic, Robert Burton’s vast compendium of wit and learning, The Anatomy of Melancholy, is one of the great works of European literature.

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The Art of War book

The Art of War

Sun- tzu

Written over 2,500 years ago, The Art of War remains the most famous military treatise of all time. Sun-tzu’s collection of precepts on strategic warfare has yet to be surpassed.

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The Bhagavad Gita book

The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is the cornerstone of the Hindu faith and one of the world’s greatest religious texts. Gandhi called it his ‘spiritual dictionary’, while as a secular work it inspired Einstein, Yeats and Jung. Our edition uses Juan Mascaró’s acclaimed translation, with illustrations by Anna Bhushan.

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Cicero: Orations book

Cicero: Orations

Cicero

So impossible to vanquish with words that Mark Antony put him to death, Cicero was a master of rhetoric and declamation. His Orations live on, echoed by the most famous speakers of modern times, from Winston Churchill to Barack Obama. In a rare commission for Folio, Tom Phillips, RA, has illustrated this edition.

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City of God book

City of God

Saint Augustine

One of the most influential religious works ever written, an eloquent and powerful defence of the faith and a fascinating witness to Christianity's early history.

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Five Days in London, May 1940 book

Five Days in London, May 1940

John Lukacs

A ‘political turncoat, a dangerous adventurer’; a ‘delightful rogue who lacked political judgement’ – today few people would guess that these were descriptions of one of the most admired statesmen of the 20th century – Winston Churchill. Yet as historian John Lukacs points out, when Churchill took over as Prime Minister in May 1940, he was not well-liked.

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Gandhi: An Autobiography book

Gandhi: An Autobiography

M.K. Gandhi

In his inspiring account of the first half of his life, Gandhi recounts his childhood in India, education in England and early legal career in South Africa, before his return home to take up the cause of Indian self-determination.

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Ideas and Opinions book

Ideas and Opinions

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a complex, fascinating man, as brilliant when writing about pacifism, religion and anti-Semitism as about theoretical physics. Ideas and Opinions is a wonderfully engrossing collection of Einstein’s major articles, speeches and letters on all these subjects, and more.

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Ideas: Fire to Freud book

Ideas: Fire to Freud

Peter Watson

The first two volumes in this acclaimed and unprecedented work, historian and archaeologist Peter Watson gives us a new history of the world, by explaining the ideas that have shaped civilisation.

Sold out Price: US$ 149.95

Leviathan book

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes

The foundation stone of modern political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan is illustrated in this edition with ingenious images by Mike Wilks.

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Meditations and Other Writings book

Meditations and Other Writings

René Descartes

How do we know that what we think is true is actually true? Can we prove the existence of God? Descartes’ questions endure. The Folio edition of Meditations is wittily illustrated by Shout, with an introduction by psychologist Nicholas Humphrey.

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On War book

On War

Carl von Clausewitz

Clausewitz’s magnum opus is one of the most influential studies of warfare, military strategy and philosophy ever written. Our edition contains a foreword by Joanna Bourke.

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Pensées book

Pensées

Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal (1623–62) was a mathematician and physicist who invented the mechanical calculator and developed probability theory. After experiencing a crisis and renewal of faith, he set out to write what he titled a ‘Defence of the Christian Religion’.

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Tao Tê Ching book

Tao Tê Ching

Lao Tzŭ

The Tao Tê Ching is one of the foundation stones of Chinese ethics, culture and philosophy, ranking alongside the world's great religious works. The oldest extant text, written on slips of bamboo, dates from around 300 BC.

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