8 Books That Changed History

Every reader knows that a book can change your life. But in some cases it's about a generation, a world, or even a future. Miriam Tuliao, assistant director of collection development at the New York Public Library, helped compile a list of 25 books that changed the course of history.

The Bible of the XIII century BC - I century AD

It is unlikely that any additional comments are needed here, since the Bible managed to influence not only the spiritual orientations of many states and continents, but also become a real literary monument of human civilization.

The Bible had many translations, and each of them held an honorable place in history. The King James Bible, a special translation of the Bible created for the Church of England, had a huge impact on new denominations, including Presbyterians, Quakers, Baptists and others. Today it is still considered a monument of prose, poetry and translation in the English-speaking world.

The Fables of Aesop were written between 620 and 560 BC.

This is a collection of stories that each of them was supposed to teach the listener some life lesson. The fables themselves are often attributed to the ancient Greek slave and fabulist Aesop, although their exact origins remain controversial.

Many fables not only influenced literature and culture in general, but also left many winged expressions in modern speech. For example, “Chicken laying golden eggs”, “the boy who called the wolf”, “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and so on.

Lun Yu Confucius, between 447 and 221 BC

The book, compiled by the disciples of Confucius after the death of the master, tells about how to lead a decent life and do good.

Even today, Lun Yu has a direct influence on Eastern ethics and some philosophies, especially in China. The compilation of the book began after Confucius' death at the end of the Spring-Autumn era and took between 30 and 50 years.

The Diary of Anne Frank published in 1947

A diary kept secretly by a Jewish girl, Anne Frank, during the two years during which the Nazis occupied Holland.

The family was discovered and captured in 1944, and Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Since then, the diaries have been published in 60 languages and have become one of the few reliable documents about World War II Europe. In 1959, a film was shot on the diaries, which received several Oscar statuettes and was nominated for Best Film.

The Art of War Sun Tzu, 600-500 BC

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to the general, strategist and tactician Sun Tzu. It is written in 13 chapters, each devoted to one aspect of war, such as espionage, quick thinking, avoidance of atrocities and mass murder.

Today, the book continues to influence not only military thinking, but also business tactics, legal strategies, and even sports training around the world.

Communist Manifesto Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, 21 February 1848

The short publication was created by two of the most famous communists in human history.

Although the impact of this work was not immediately revealed, the manifesto with the famous battle cry “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” resonated with the workers of many countries in Europe and, of course, in Russia.

Then the basic principles of communism were widely studied among the intelligentsia of many capitalist countries.

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, 1859

Charles Darwin went to the Galapagos and discovered one of the most important discoveries of the XIX century - evolution.

Not only did Origin of Species become the foundation of evolutionary biology for many years; the concept of natural selection influenced many scientific theories, politics, and shattered religious guidelines.

Quran 500-600 AD

The main religious text of Islam is also the main book of 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It is believed that the Quran is the literal word of God to the Prophet Muhammad.

He describes the actions of many prophets and messengers, including those mentioned in the New and Old Testaments: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus and the apostles.



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