The Leader's Bible: the Art of War by Sun Tzu, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and the Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (Illustrated)

Book excerpt: Presenting The Leader's Bible: The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. This collection is part of The Great Books Series by Golding Books. There are certain books of antiquity that have risen to the status of required readings for those interested in effective leadership. The Art of War, Meditations, and The Prince have achieved this rare renown, influencing countless changemakers and leaders throughout history. A leader will be faced with all kinds of challenges, many unforeseen. These texts emphasize that the best way to command or sway others is through a prudence that does not always err on the side of leniency or severity, but rather on that of knowledge and flexibility. Along with strength of character, an effective leader also possesses the ability to adapt and therefore to take informed, needful, and decisive action. Personal development, leadership, and business management are essentially careful thought followed by swift action. This inspirational collection is unique among leadership books for women and men and great leader gifts for women and men, bosses and employees, the experienced as well as up and comers, rare among leadership gifts for students as well as leadership gifts for women and men at every stage of their career. Sun Tzu was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher, who is believed to have written the famous ancient book on military strategy, The Art of War. He lived in the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China, and his birth year is given by tradition as 544 BC. While the book has become immensely popular through to today, there is little to no certainty about Sun Tzu's claim to its authorship, or the veracity of details about his life. Marcus Aurelius was born in 121 in Rome. His original name was Marcus Annius Verus, and he was born into a wealthy and political family. A dedicated student, he became a Stoic, a philosophy which emphasized self-restraint, fate, and reason. He was chosen by Emperor Hadrian to be his eventual successor, and in 161, Aurelius took control of the Roman Empire along with his brother Verus, assuming the name Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. His rule suffered the threat of war and disease, and, while Rome was held, his rule weakened after the death of his brother. His son Commodus became co-ruler in 177 (having been named Caesar in 166), and Aurelius died after a repeated bout of illness in 180. Niccolò Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence, Italy. He was a diplomat for fourteen years in the Florentine Republic during the Medici family's exile. When the Medicis returned to power in 1512, he was dismissed and jailed for three weeks, during which time he was subjected to the "strappado," or ropes used for hanging torture. He wrote The Prince, a political handbook for self-serving and ruthless leaders that became a philosophy classic on leadership, in 1532. He died in Florence in 1527.