Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Datong, Xu, Lectures on China's Traditional Political Thoughts. Tr. by Yang Dan. 198 pp. 2023:1 (P. Lang, SZ) <704-643>
ISBN 978-1-4331-9877-9 hard ¥24,147.- (税込) SFR 98.00

Drawing on inspirational advice from philosophers in ancient China, Lectures on China’s Traditional Political Thoughts takes readers through major schools of China’s traditional political thoughts, including the Confucian School, the Mohists’ School, the Daoists’ School and the Legalists’ School. Written in exceptionally clear and user-friendly style, this book provides valuable insights into the study of political science, gives a clear, thorough, and balanced introduction to the basic characteristics, clues and focuses of ancient China’s political thoughts, offers an accurate depiction of ancient Chinese intellectuals and compares different political ideological systems in China and the West. The book also contains a detailed glossary of important terms both in Chinese and English. In China, a country with a vast area, a large and multi-ethnic population, a complex situation and a long history, ancient Chinese political thoughts have left people a wealth of lessons on how to reconcile various contradictions, enable the country to develop steadily and ensure the people to live in peace and work in contentment. The wisdom gathered throughout history is central to the understanding and practice of Chinese people’s pursuit of universal harmony, which has an increasing cultural impact in the world today. This book is extremely useful as the starting point for understanding China’s traditional political thoughts, and a textbook ideal for learners and researchers on courses in China’s traditional political thoughts. Readers who may have no previous knowledge will also find the book interesting and illuminating.

Pedulla, Gabriele, On Niccolo Machiavelli: The Bonds of Politics. (Core Knowledge) 248 pp. 2023:10 (Columbia U. Pr., US) <704-644>
ISBN 978-0-231-20554-2 hard ¥13,464.- (税込) US$ 60.00 *
ISBN 978-0-231-20555-9 paper ¥3,353.- (税込) US$ 14.95 *

Five hundred years after his death, Niccolo Machiavelli still draws an astonishing range of contradictory characterizations. Was he a friend of tyrants? An ardent republican loyal to Florence's free institutions? The father of political realism? A revolutionary populist? A calculating rationalist? A Renaissance humanist? A prophet of Italian unification? A theorist of mixed government? A forerunner to authoritarianism? The master of the dark arts of intrigue?This book provides a vivid and engaging introduction to Machiavelli's life and works that sheds new light on his originality and relevance. Gabriele Pedulla-a leading Italian expert and acclaimed writer-offers fresh readings of the Florentine thinker's most famous writings, The Prince and the Discourses on Livy, as well as lesser-known texts. A new and often surprising Machiavelli emerges: one closer to his time but also better suited to inform our own. Pedulla's portrait of Machiavelli highlights his close attention to social and emotional bonds, staunch opposition to oligarchy, keen awareness of the economic side of power dynamics, and strong preference for history over philosophy as a guide for leaders.This book recovers the excitement Machiavelli roused in his first readers for a twenty-first-century audience, capturing his capacity to provoke, both then and now, with unconventional ideas and startling insights.

Craig, Catherine, Memory and Political Art in Plato's Statesman. (Political Theory for Today) 176 pp. 2023:6 (Lexington Books, US) <704-11>
ISBN 978-1-66691-966-0 hard ¥21,318.- (税込) US$ 95.00 *

In Memory and the Political Art in Plato's Statesman, Catherine Craig provides an original reading of Plato's Statesman by bringing memory to the foreground. The dialogue itself explores various components of political memory, such as common speech, myths, and laws, and argues that these create a framework in which we live our political lives. Each of these aspects of political memory serves as an image to move the individual to rational inquiry. In this way, the dialogue suggests that political memory can serve as a starting point for philosophic recollection, allowing for a move from knowledge of the rational soul to first principles. Craig shows how Plato weaves together the personal, political, and philosophic dimensions of memory, providing a richer understanding of the significance of memory for political life. Beyond providing an analysis of the Statesman, this book helps readers consider the challenges of political memory in contemporary political life, while also arguing that memory mediates between universal, rational principles and the particular ends and circumstances of human life.