Hailed as the finest book ever written on the nature of democracy, it continues to be an influential text on both sides of the Atlantic, above all in the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. De Tocqueville examines the structures, institutions and operation of democracy, and shows how Europe can learn from American successes and failures. His central theme is the advancement of the rule of the people, but he also predicts that slavery will bring about the most horrible of civil wars, foresees that the USA and Russia will be the superpowers of the 20th century, and is 150 years ahead of his time in his views on the position and importance of women. Paperback reprint.

The Holy Qu'ran (also known as The Koran) is the sacred book of Islam. It is the word of God whose truth was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The first full compilation was by Abu Bakar, the first Caliph, and it was then recompiled in the original dialect by the third Caliph Uthman, after the best reciters had fallen in battle. Muslims believe that the truths of the Qur'an are fully and authentically revealed only in the original classical Arabic. This translation, by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, is considered to be the most faithful rendering available in English. 562pp. Paperback.

This astonishing series of aphorisms, put into the mouth of the Persian sage Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, contains the kernal of Nietzsche's thought. God is dead, he tells us. Christianity is decadent, leading mankind into a slave morality concerned not with this life, but with the next. Nietzsche emphasises the Übermensch, or Superman, whose will to power makes him the creator of a new heroic mentality. The intensely felt ideas are expressed in prose-poetry of indefinable beauty. Though misused by the German National Socialist party as a spurious justification of their creed, the book also had a profound influence on early 20th century writers such as Shaw, Mann, Gide, Lawrence and Sartre. It remains, to this day, a beacon of original thought. 320pp paperback.

David Hume (1711-1776) was the most important philosopher ever to write in English, as well as a master stylist. This volume contains his major philosophical works. A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-1740), published while Hume was still in his 20s, consists of three books on the understanding, the passions, and morals. It applies the experimental method of reasoning to human nature in a revolution that was intended to make Hume the Newton of the moral sciences. Disappointed with the Treatise's failure to bring about such a revolution, Hume later recast Book I as An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (1751), and Book III as An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals, which he regarded as 'incomparably the best' of all his works. Both Enquiries went through several editions in his lifetime. Hume's works, controversial in his day, remain deeply and widely influential in ours, especially for his contributions to our understanding of the nature of morality, political and economic theory, philosophy of religion, and philosophical naturalism. This volume also includes Hume’s anonymous Abstract of Books I and II of the Treatise, and the short autobiographical essay, ‘My Own Life’, which he wrote just before his death. 860 page paperback. New from Wordsworth.

Dating from around 300BC, this is the first great classic of the Chinese school of philosophy called Taoism. Within its pages is summed up a complete view of the cosmos and how human beings should respond to it. It constitutes the shaping forces behind Chinese spirituality, art and science and this edition presents the authoritative translation by Arthur Waley. Wordsworth paperback. 112pp.

The conflict between Christians and Muslims in the early medieval period is full of resonance for our own times. We are used to hearing the story from a British perspective, including the exploits of King Richard the Lionheart and other famous European crusaders, known as the Franks, but this readable book, published in 2010 and with a Foreword by the late, great Terry Jones, aims to place the crusades in a Muslim context and tell the story from the point of view of the culture of those who lived in the disputed territories. Both Muslim and Frankish accounts tend to emphasize the Frankish threat in terms of religion without considering the complex mix of commercial interests and personal rivalries which influenced the wars. Waterson tells the story of the famed leaders of the jihad the lives and deeds of Zangi, Nur al-Din, Saladin and Baybars are all recounted. Terry Jones suggests that our own labelling of Islam as continually being the aggressor in fact replicates the propaganda machine of a whole millennium ago, when the 1071 Battle of Manzikert created the chain of events that led to the First Crusade. Waterson points out that the First Crusade took the Muslims by surprise, as described in the chronicles of Ibn al-Qalanasi, so that they initially misinterpreted its aims and scope, but even more importantly there were two power blocs fighting for supremacy, the Fatimid empire of Egypt and the Saljq Turkish empire. Even the lofty-minded Turkish ruler Nur al-Din was not above allowing a Frankish raid on one of his fellow-sultans. This theme continued throughout the conflicts until Saladin united his forces to take Jerusalem. A long-term unforeseen result of Christianity's attack on Islam was to force the sultans to create an army that subsequently defended them against the ravages of Mongol armies that came from further east. Every important battle is described, with a wealth of political and operational detail. 206pp, 15.4 x 23.7cm, maps, black and white photos.

The ideas of Plato (c.429-347BC) have influenced Western philosophers for over 2,000 years. The Republic deals with the great range of Platonic thought combining argument and myth to advocate a life organised by reason rather than dominated by desires and appetites. Regarded by some as the foundation document of totalitarianism, it remains a challenging and intensely exciting work. 400 page paperback.

John Locke (1632-1704) was a key figure in 17th century philosophy, politics and society. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding was his greatest achievement, and encompasses a broad spectrum of his thought. In the Essay, Locke makes clear the critical and sceptical routes by which philosophy was to develop as a study distinct from the natural sciences, and he argues on views on society, religion, language, education and progress that have subsequently become widely influential in the mainstream of European thought. His political writings embody the spirit of the Revolution of 1688. Locke's natural modesty combines felicitously with his passionate concern for freedom, integrity and human happiness. His supremely intelligent and commonsense approach is as stimulating now as it was in the 17th century. 426pp. Paperback.

Benedict de Spinoza lived a life of blameless simplicity as a lens-grinder in Holland. And yet in his lifetime he was expelled from the Jewish community in Amsterdam as a heretic, and after his death his works were first banned by the Christian authorities as atheistic, then hailed by humanists as the gospel of Pantheism. His Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order shows us the reality behind this enigmatic figure. First published by his friends after his premature death at the age of 44, the Ethics uses the methods of Euclid to describe a single entity, properly called both 'God' and 'Nature', of which mind and matter are two manifestations. In ways that are strikingly modern, discover the identity of mind and body, the necessary causation of events and actions, and the illusory nature of free will. 400pp. Paperback.

A tender, transporting and deeply moving story of a young man asked to give the eulogy of his childhood rabbi, intersected with sermons and fables and meetings with his pastor. We see that both the faiths written about hold such important and different functions to different people and these beliefs are followed by many Jews and Christians alike. The book is about a remarkable eight year journey into what it means to live with hope in your heart. It begins with Mitch Albom being asked by his ailing 82 year old former mentor to deliver his eulogy upon his death. Feeling unworthy, Mitch insists on getting to understand the man better. At the same time he is getting to know a man with a deeply tragic past who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church, but who remains full of hope and happiness. Albom spends years exploring churches and synagogues, the suburbs of the city of Detroit and the 'us' versus 'them' of religion. Even in the crumbling church that houses the homeless he is stunned at how similar belief can be. As his own beloved cleric slowly lets go, Albom writes his final farewell, having learned that a faithful heart comes in many forms and places. By the bestselling author of 'Tuesdays with Morrie' and 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven'. 262pp, paperback.