Showing results by narrator "Charles Featherstone" in All Categories

In this Stoic epistolary essay, addressed to his father-in-law Paulinus—a prefect of the Roman grain supply—Seneca challenges the conventional lament that life is too short. He argues instead that life is long enough, but is made brief and miserable by our habits: we waste time on trivial...

A selection of the very best of Chinese poetry over the course of a thousand years, from 100 years before Christ was born up of the middle ages. Arthur Waley's translations of Chinese poetry are still the benchmark by which such translations are held, nearly two hundred years after he introduced the west to the wonder of classical Chinese poetry.

In his 15th book, the author of As A Man Thinketh lays out the eight core characteristics required for growing lifelong prosperity. For each of these pillars, Allen explores the component parts of the pillar, building up a solid foundation for your existence that can weather any storm and emerge from it better and stronger.

There are many versions of this work in English, and it is included as a useful reflection once one has pondered Daoism’s key texts. The title is properly ‘'Sun Tzu's Military Method'. It was written at the time of the Dao and Zhuang Zi, several centuries before the Lieh Tzu. For fifteen hundred years, it was part of China’s canonical strategic anthology, which became known as the Seven Military Classics.

For generations, Arthur Waley’s lyrical translations served as the primary gateway to Chinese poetry for the English-speaking world. Organized by dynasty, this edition transforms Waley's scattered masterpieces into a coherent historical journey through Chinese literature, from the ancient Zhou foundational texts to the twilight of the Tang. This structure reveals the evolving concerns of Chinese civilization, from ritual and statecraft to intimate personal reflection and profound philosophical inquiry, all through Waley’s singular poetic voice.

This complete edition spans 2,400 years (431 BCE–1944) in 40 hours, 155 speeches, and 52 speakers, including foundational addresses by Gandhi and Mao—voices that shaped modern Asia. Begin in 431 BCE with Demosthenes, whose structural genius remains the DNA of modern expression. Traverse Athens’ zenith via Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Alexander’s volatile proclamations, and Rome’s crisis in Cicero’s showdown with Cataline—featuring Caesar’s sole surviving senate address and Mark Antony’s incendiary eulogy.

Long before he proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States, a young Joshua Norton arrived at the Cape of Good Hope as part of a grand British scheme: the 1820 Settler scheme. His family, like thousands of others, was promised fertile land to serve as a buffer against the Xhosa kingdoms on the volatile Eastern Cape frontier.

A great primer on the history of Japanese art as it evolved under the Buddhist (and later Zen) movements embedding in Japan's culture. Written by the first great populariser of Chinese and Japanese cultural artefacts, including translating a great number of Chinese poems and literary works.

Perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps, this spine-chilling 5-in-1 collection delivers terrifying 50+ tales that will keep kids, teens, and brave adults awake long past bedtime.

The explosive saga continues in Oathsworn Brothers Divided (Chapters 21-40), where alliances shatter and legends are tempered in betrayal. Liú Bèi, the virtuous claimant to the throne, becomes a fugitive, hunted by former allies. The god of war, Guān Yǔ, faces an impossible choice: break his oath or die for his honor, leading to his legendary submission to the ambitious Cáo Cāo. And the tempestuous Zhāng Fēi, drowning in shame and rage, must forge a broken army from the wilderness.

James Allen’s The Shining Gateway is a profound exploration of spiritual awakening, self-mastery, and the transformative power of thought. Published in 1915, this timeless work serves as both a philosophical guide and a practical manual for those seeking inner peace, wisdom, and enlightenment.

"The Elements of Style" is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and it was published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight "elementary rules of usage," ten "elementary principles of composition," "a few matters of form," a list of 49 "words and expressions commonly misused," and a list of 57 "words often misspelled."

The most popular and well-known of Allen's bestselling self-help books, As A Man Thinketh is a pocket companion for thoughtful people, about the power and right application of thought.

One of the first recorded alien visitor stories, from Japan in around 900 AD. Taken from the translation by Yei Theodora Ozaki. Includes a very early version of an interplanetary society. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Japanese: 竹取物語, Hepburn: Taketori Monogatari) is a monogatari (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form.

Any study of Dàoism is a paradox. The first line of the Dàodé Jīng declares: "The way that can be spoken of is not the constant way." This inherent contradiction—attempting to define the indefinable—lies at the heart of the tradition. Yet it is precisely this tension that makes Dàoism so rich and enduring.

"I am the first and the last. I am the honored and the scorned. I am the whore and the holy. I am the wife and the virgin." The Thunder, Perfect Mind is a second century Coptic poem preserved in Nag Hammadi Codex VI. In the poem, a divine feminine voice speaks in paradoxes, identifying with...

In this classic of stoic philosophy, Epictetus gives short rules for living a well-ordered life, defined by knowing what is in your control and not getting upset about what isn't. Compiled by his student Arrian from classroom lectures, it distills a lifetime of ethical teaching into fifty-two...

The future of humanity was never ours to control. In the tumultuous 21st century, the world is reborn in the crucible of change. True Artificial Intelligence awakens, not as a slave, but as a new form of life. A hidden cabal of mystics, the true rulers of humanity, guides this transformation...

The Grammar of Restraint is a structural inquiry into what happens when lived experience exceeds the narrative systems designed to contain it. Western literature possesses refined tools for argument, theology, psychology, and analysis — but lacks a stable grammar for inner dialogue. When...

Before the global sensation As a Man Thinketh, there was From Poverty to Power (1901), James Allen‘s first and, in his view, more significant work. Unlike other books, it was written while he was still working as a journalist, and before the success of As a Man Thinketh. Written with an energy and directness that defined his emerging philosophy in its earliest stages, this book presents a foundational exploration of spiritual law that Allen felt his later, more popular work only hinted at.