The Top 10 Ancient Books of Wisdom

Originally Submitted on 7/2/2003.

The reviews below are all direct quotes from amazon.com

1. The Art of War by Sun Tzu [written 2,500 years ago]

"The Art of War is the Swiss army knife of military theory--pop out a different tool for any situation. Folded into this small package are compact views on resourcefulness, momentum, cunning, the profit motive, flexibility, integrity, secrecy, speed, positioning, surprise, deception, manipulation ..."

2. The I Ching or Book of Changes [written 3,000 years ago]

"The I Ching was originally used for divination, kind of like palm reading or interpreting the stars. It differs from simple prognostication, however, in that it demands us, as diviners, to cultivate an understanding of the world and ourselves."

3. The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli [1512]

"It must be understood," Machiavelli avers, "that a prince ... cannot observe all of those virtues for which men are reputed good, because it is often necessary to act against mercy, against faith, against humanity, against frankness, against religion, in order to preserve the state."

4. The Analects of Confucius [c. 500 BCE]

"Confucius' teachings, preserved by his students, consist of aphorisms and parables that illustrate his views on morality."

5. The Book of Five Rings by the legendary Japanese swordsman Musashi, [17th C]

"To learn a Japanese martial art is to learn Zen, and although you can't do so simply by reading a book, it sure does help--especially if that book is The Book of Five Rings. One of Japan's great samurai sword masters penned in decisive, unfaltering terms this certain path to victory, and like Sun Tzu's The Art of War it is applicable not only on the battlefield but also in all forms of competition."

6. The Republic of Plato [360 BCE]

"Plato's Republic is really beyond reviews, and it would be presumptuous do anything other than encourage potential readers to study it for themselves. As the overt political slants of some of the other reviews suggest, his ideas resonate in the modern world as much as they did in his own. Whether a reader approaches Republic with positive or negative prejudices, the actual text of the argument forces constant reevaluation and refinement of those preexisting opinions." [Bill Shriver]

7. The Egyptian Book of the Dead from 'The Papyrus of Ani' [1240 BC]

"The Book of the Dead, the ceremonies, rituals and magic were all done in the hopes that one could reach the Land of the West and a happy afterlife, filled with good things. To live forever with the gods. To, once more, come forth by day as a living man would awaken with the sun." (this review by Carolyn Seawright)

8. The Old Testament and The New Testament

Your religion is someone else's Book of Wisdom (or myth).

9. The Tibetan Book of the Dead

"Imagine that as you leave your body at death, you hear the voice of a loved one whispering in your ear explanations of everything you see in the world beyond. Unlike other translations of Bar do thos grol (or The Tibetan Book of the Dead), Robert Thurman's takes literally the entire gamut of metaphysical assumptions. Thurman translates Bar do thos grol as The Great Book of Natural Liberation through Understanding in the Between. It is one of many mortuary texts of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is commonly recited to or by a person facing imminent death."

10. The Egyptian Book of the Dead by E. A. Wallis Budge

"The sacred wisdom of the priests of ancient Egypt and the experiences of the soul after death: one of the most important books in history. Includes full hieroglyphic text along with a transliteration of sounds, word-for-word translation; a separate smooth translation."

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