Nietzsche soars in philosophic thought in Beyond Good and Evil. He transcended most of his 19th century contemporaries and considered the bulk of their philosophic thinking to be greatly limited by their acceptance of Christian premises. Denying a universal morality for all people, Nietzsche instead proposed that the individual's "will to power" upon the world was the means to move beyond good and evil. Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree? Brilliantly thought provoking.

Shakespeare's best known play and the most quoted work of the English language.

Hamlet's father is dead and he struggles with the desire for revenge. The play uses this backdrop to explore intrigue, incest, desire, and what is important in life.

Regularly included in lists of the greatest works of all time.

A major figure of his time Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman and essayist but is best known for leading the scientific revolution with his new 'observation and experimentation' method. Bacon ranked #90 on Michael H. Hart's list of the most influential figures in history. He is often credited as the author of the works attributed to Shakespeare. Here he writes on diverse topics including truth, death, love, ambition, anger, fame, and the pleasures of gardening.

1895 Best Seller.

One of the most influential anti-war stories ever written The Red Badge of Courage was adapted as a film in 1951 by John Huston. Crane wanted to show what war was like and achieved a ground breaking 'psychological portrayal of fear'. The story follows an archetypical 19 year old recruit in the American Civil War.

Utilitarianism - achieving the greatest good for the greatest number. Well-known Western philosopher John Stuart Mill proposes the concept of utilitarianism as a moral standard by which to judge actions.

Two British ex-soldiers find adventure in Kafiristan which is now part of Afghanistan

The story was inspired by real life characters who became the Rajah of Sarawak in Boreno and the Prince of Ghor.

In 1975 the story was made into a John Huston film starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine.