Hermann Hesse

This classic novel of self-discovery has inspired generations of seekers. With parallels to the enlightenment of the Buddha, Hesse's Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahman's quest for the ultimate reality.

A young Brahmin named Siddhartha searches for ultimate reality after meeting with the Buddha. His quest takes him from a life of decadence to asceticism, from the illusory joys of sensual love with a beautiful courtesan, and of wealth and fame, to the painful struggles with his son and the ultimate wisdom of renunciation. Integrating Eastern and Western spiritual traditions with psychoanalysis and philosophy, written with a deep and moving empathy...

Twenty-two fairy tales for adults by a German writer (1877-1962). In A Man by the Name of Ziegler, the protagonist can talk to animals and finds them just as wicked as humans, Augustus is on a man who loses a fortune but gains happiness, and A Dream of the Gods contrasts the hopes and the reality of World War I. By the author of Steppenwolf.

This first major novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Hermann Hesse incorporates a theme he returned to again and again in most of his works: the fundamental duality of existence. The youthful protagonist, Emil Sinclair, however, his older friend, Max Demian, manages to both clarify and complicate Sinclair's confusion about life's conflicting values. Recounted in engaging prose, rich in sympathy and imagination, this brilliant exploration of the polarities...

"Arrays the opposing forces in over one hundred maps, pictures and orders of battle--the historical backgrounds, the terrain and armaments, the personalities, the weaknesses of the leaders on both sides--then pauses at crucial stages to explain the options open to each commander"--Dust jacket.