Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria by Sigmund Freud Touchstone Books (1 November 1997) Amazon page What's it about?: Sigmund Freud's case study of a teenaged girl diagnosed with "hysteria." Her real name was Ida Bauer, but she was referred to as "Dora" throughout the text. This study is (in)famous for Freud's exploration … Continue reading Dora →

Frontinus: Stratagems, Aqueducts of Rome by Frontinus (translated by Charles E. Bennett) (1 January 1925) Amazon link What's it about?: Two books: a treatise on warfare, and an official report on the state of the aqueducts of Rome, by Sextus Julius Frontinus, civil engineer, author, soldier, and senator of the Roman Empire in the first … Continue reading Stratagems, Aqueducts of Rome →

Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler Vintage (26 September 1995) Amazon link What's it about?: Neal Gabler's biography of tabloid columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell. Written in the context of celebrity culture, and how this developed over time with Winchell as the celebrity columnist. My opinion: Probably the most readable … Continue reading Winchell →

Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (translated by Walter Kaufmann) KNOPF US (31 March 1999) Amazon page What's it about?: Goethe's tragic play, Faust, in a volume providing the original German text, with philosopher Walter Kaufmann's English translation on the facing pages. Based on a traditional theme of making a deal with the devil, Mephistopheles, … Continue reading Faust →

The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene Penguin (1 January 2008) Amazon link What's it about?: The third book in Robert Greene's series on power, seduction, and war, The 33 Strategies of War draws upon thousands of years of conflict to deliver a modern treatise on war and strategic thinking. Political, philosophical and religious … Continue reading The 33 Strategies of War →

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Penguin (1 September 2000) Amazon link What's it about?: Reportedly one of the most requested and banned books in American prison libraries, and cited by many in the entertainment industry. The 48 Laws of Power is presented as a how-to guide on the acquisition of power, drawing … Continue reading The 48 Laws of Power →

The Hidden-Hand Presidency: Eisenhower as Leader by Fred I. Greenstein John Hopkins University Press (1 May 1994) Amazon link What's it about?: The life and times of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, with a focus on analysing his style of leadership, and the significance of his legacy in modern America. Author Fred Greenstein draws on … Continue reading The Hidden-Hand Presidency →

Strategy: The Indirect Approach by B. H. Liddell Hart Pentagon Press (1 March 2012) Amazon link What's it about?: British soldier and military historian B. H. Liddell Hart's advocation of military strategy and tactics of disorienting an opponent psychologically and physically. For Hart, victory came from "the line of least resistance and the line of … Continue reading Strategy →

The Histories by Herodotus Penguin (6 March 2003) Amazon page What's it about?: Greek historian Herodotus' account of how the Greek states struggled to fight the Persian Empire in the fifth century BC. It is a first-hand source, recounting the Greco-Persian Wars, through its various stages. My opinion: I loved History of the Peloponnesian War … Continue reading The Histories →