Knowledge = Power

This definitive  biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the  story of two rulers who gripped the world -- and their rise and fall  from power. Alexander the Great's  conquests staggered the world. He led his army across thousands of  miles, overthrowing the greatest empires of his time and building a new  one in their place. He claimed to be the son of a god, but he was  actually the son of Philip II of Macedon. Philip  inherited a minor kingdom that was on the verge of dismemberment, but  despite his youth and inexperience, he made Macedonia dominant  throughout Greece. It was Philip who created the armies that Alexander  led into war against Persia. In Philip and Alexander, classical  historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows that without the work and influence  of his father, Alexander could not have achieved so much. This is the  groundbreaking biography of two men who together conquered the world.

An award-winning historian plumbs the depths of Hitler and Stalin's  vicious regimes, and shows the extent to which they brutalized the world  around them. Two 20th century tyrants stand apart from all  the rest in terms of their ruthlessness and the degree to which they  changed the world around them. Briefly allies during World War II,  Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin then tried to exterminate each other in  sweeping campaigns unlike anything the modern world had ever seen,  affecting soldiers and civilians alike. Millions of miles of Eastern  Europe were ruined in their fight to the death, millions of lives  sacrificed. Laurence Rees has met more people who had direct  experience of working for Hitler and Stalin than any other historian.  Using their evidence he has pieced together a compelling comparative  portrait of evil, in which idealism is polluted by bloody pragmatism,  and human suffering is used casually as a political tool. It's a  jaw-dropping description of two regimes stripped of moral anchors and  doomed to destroy each other, and those caught up in the vicious  magnetism of their leadership.

Suetonius  - The Twelve Caesars

Alexander was born into the royal family of Macedonia, the kingdom  that would soon rule over Greece. Tutored as a boy by Aristotle,  Alexander had an inquisitive mind that would serve him well when he  faced formidable obstacles during his military campaigns. Shortly after  taking command of the army, he launched an invasion of the Persian  Empire, and continued his conquests as far south as the deserts of Egypt  and as far east as the mountains of present-day Pakistan and the plains  of India. In his lively and authoritative biography of  Alexander, Philip Freeman describes Alexander's astonishing achievements  and provides insight into the mercurial character of the great  conqueror. Alexander could be petty and magnanimous, cruel and merciful,  impulsive and farsighted. Above all, he was ferociously, intensely  competitive and could not tolerate losing - which he rarely did. As  Freeman explains, without Alexander, the influence of Greece on the  ancient world would surely not have been as great as it was, even if his  motivation was not to spread Greek culture for beneficial purposes, but  instead to unify his empire.

Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-1962 The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957 The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962—1976

"Fascinating, shrewd . . . The book deftly traces the rhythms and patterns of Chinese history."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times In  this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the  first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for  decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal  events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern  European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet  alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon’s historic trip to Beijing.  With a new final chapter on the emerging superpower’s  twenty-first-century role in global politics and economics, On China provides historical perspective on Chinese foreign affairs from one of the premier statesmen of our time.

A primer on Democratic Socialism for those who are extremely skeptical of it. America is witnessing the rise of a new generation of socialist  activists. More young people support socialism now than at any time  since the labor movement of the 1920s. The Democratic Socialists of  America, a big-tent leftist organization, has just surpassed 50,000  members nationwide. In the fall of 2018, one of the most influential  congressmen in the Democratic Party lost a primary to Alexandria  Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old socialist who had never held office before.  But what does all this mean? Should we be worried about our country, or  should we join the march toward our bright socialist future? In Why You  Should Be a Socialist, Nathan J. Robinson will give listeners a primer  on 21st-century socialism: what it is, what it isn’t, and why everyone  should want to be a part of this exciting new chapter of American  politics. From the heyday of Occupy Wall Street through Bernie Sanders’ 2016  presidential campaign and beyond, young progressives have been  increasingly drawn to socialist ideas. However, the movement’s goals  need to be defined more sharply before it can effect real change on a  national scale. Likewise, liberals and conservatives will benefit from a  deeper understanding of the true nature of this ideology, whether they  agree with it or not. Robinson’s charming, accessible, and well-argued book will convince  even the most skeptical listeners of the merits of socialist thought.

In early nineteenth-century Russia, the threat of Napoleon’s invasion looms, and the lives of millions are about to be changed forever. This includes Pierre Bezúkhov, illegitimate son of an aristocrat; Andrew Bolkónski, ambitious military scion; and Natásha Rostóva, compassionate daughter of a nobleman. All of them are unprepared for what lies ahead. Alongside their fellow compatriots - a catalog of enduring literary characters - Pierre, Andrew, and Natásha will be irrevocably torn between fate and free will. Through the bonds of love and family, and all that can break them, Tolstoy examines the effects of war on every strata of society in his masterwork of intimate - and epic - social history. Revised edition: Previously published as War and Peace, this edition of War and Peace (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions. Leo Tolstoy (Author), Louise Maude - translator (Author), Aylmer Maude - translator (Author), Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator), Brilliance Audio (Publisher)

Ged was the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, but once he was called Sparrowhawk, a reckless youth, hungry for power and knowledge, who tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance. An exciting re-launch of the classic Earthsea Cycle, by fantasy literature legend Ursula K. Le Guin, winner of a Newbery Honor, the National Book Award, Pushcart Prize, and six Nebula Awards.

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