Books published by Masterworks Classics

The Alexiad, a compelling, dramatic account of the Emperor Alexios of the Byzantine Empire (about 1050-1118), was written by Alexios' highly educated and articulate daughter, Anna Komnene. A princess raised in the royal court, Komnene (latinized as Comnena) is generally regarded as the first woman historian. She wrote the book from a convent during the last years of her life.This epic book covers the First Crusade, daily life at the court, internal plots and intrigues, wars and invasions, and religious heresies--all from the perspective of one who was there. It is the only primary source of the First Crusade from the Byzantine point of view.The translation from Greek to English by Elizabeth A. S. Dawes has been praised both for its readability and its accuracy.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the greatest--and most influential--political philosophers of all time. His writings influenced America's founding fathers; later, with less salutary results, elements of his thinking were adopted by the leaders of the French Revolution.This essential edition of Rousseau's writings includes his most classic political essays: "On the Social Contract," "Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts," "Discourse on the Origin and Foundation of Inequality among Men," "A Discourse on Political Economy," and "The State of War." It also includes an extended introduction to Rousseau and his thought, as well as notes to clarify and explain Rousseau for the modern reader.

What is the true story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt?The story has been variously told in such blockbuster movies as Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments and Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings, not to mention the animated The Prince of Egypt. Despite various interpretations of novelists and filmmakers, ancient sources are surprisingly complete in telling what really happened. This book brings together two histories that tell his story. The account in the Old Testament (the Jewish Torah), was purportedly written by Moses himself. And Flavius Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian, wrote Antiquities of the Jews in the first century. The Bible section is from the American Standard Version, written in modern English with readable paragraphing. Included are selected chapters from Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. The book includes a helpful appendix drawn from the Jewish Encyclopedia.These accounts tell of the babe in the basket in the bulrushes, the oppression of the Pharaoh (who may have been Ramses II), the burning bush, the miracles and the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the Law of Moses, and the Tabernacle in the wilderness. We learn about the brass serpent, the golden calf, the manna, and the quail. We read about Moses' wife, Zipporah, and his successor, Joshua. And we see the miraculous details of the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the deserts of Sinai, hoping to finally enter the promised land. This book is must reading for students of the Bible, of ancient history, and of the biblical prophets, as well as anyone who wants to know the true story of this great man, one of the epic leaders of all time.