The Confessions of Saint Augustine / Saint Augustine

Title: The Confessions of Saint Augustine 

Author: Saint Augustine 

Translator: E. B. Pusey (Edward Bouverie)

Subjects: Religion; Autobiography

Confessions is generally considered the first Western autobiographical work. It is considered among the great masterpieces of western literature. The work outlines Saint Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. 

The Bible / Various

Title: The King James Bible 

Authors: Various

Subjects: Religion;

The King James Bible (Authorized Version), is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England. Published in 1611 under the sponsorship of James VI and I. It include the 39 books of the Old Testament, and the 27 books of the New Testament. It has been described as one of the most important books in English culture.

Tao Teh King / Lao-Tze

Title: Tao Teh King 

Author: Lao-Tze

Translater: James Legge

Subjects: Atheism; Philosophy; Religion; Dharma; Taoism

It is very short book, but very powerful. You can be lost in english translation but not in original. Read it slowly is necessary to appreciate and understand it. One of the greatest work of all time. 

The Kingdom of God Is Within You / Leo Tolstoy

Title: The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life)

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Translator: Constance Garnett 

Subjects: Non-Fiction; Philosophy; Religion; Christianity

It was banned in Tolstoy's home country Russia. It lays out a new organization for society based on an interpretation of Christianity focusing on universal love. is a key text for Tolstoyan proponents of nonviolence, of nonviolent resistance, and of the Christian anarchist movement.

Utilitarianism / John Stuart Mill

Title: Utilitarianism 

Author: John Stuart Mill

Subjects: Non-Fiction; Philosophy; Psychological; Religion

Mill's aim in the book is to explain what utilitarianism is, to show why it is the best theory of ethics, and to defend it against a wide range of criticisms and misunderstandings. It is heavily criticized. But the book did a great deal to popularize utilitarian ethics. Many elements of utilitarianism took from Jeremy Bentham. 

Siddhartha / Herman Hesse

Title: Siddhartha- An Indian Tale

Author: Herman Hesse Translator: Gunther Olesch, Anke Dreher, Amy Coulter, Stefan Langer and Semyon Chaichenets

Subjects: Fiction; Classic; Philosophy; Religion; Buddhism 

It is a spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man (Siddhartha) during the time of the Gautama Buddha. Siddhartha means siddha (achieved) + artha (what was searched for), which together means "he who has found meaning (of existence)". The Buddha is referred as "Gotama".

Beyond Good and Evil / Friedrich Nietzsche

Title: Beyond Good and Evil 

Author: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche 

Translator: Helen Zimmern

Subjects: Classic; Non-Fiction; Philosophy; Psychology; Religion

The book is expanding the ideas of Nietzsche's work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Nietzsche accuses past philosophers for blindly accepting dogmatic morality. He offers the "will to power" as an explanation of all behavior; this ties into his "perspective of life", which he regards as "beyond good and evil".

Meditations / Marcus Aurelius

Title: Meditations 

Author: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (The Roman Emperor)

Subjects: Classic; Philosophy; Religion, Ethics 

Personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. It is a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.