Arthashastra

By Kautilya,

Book cover of Arthashastra

Book description

A comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the principles of politics, statecraft, and warfare tactics. What makes a king powerful? What makes a kingdom undefeatable? What makes a government efficient? Kautilya' s Arthashastra answers all these questions and explores much more in this beautiful deluxe edition.A timeless…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Arthashastra as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a classic ancient Indian text on diplomacy and one of the earliest books written in secular Sanskrit.

This book is many things–including one of the most comprehensive manuals on statecraft, which makes for a fascinating read and an important corrective to Western-centric conceptualizations of the history of diplomacy.   

From Lorena's list on diplomacy and how it works.

If you love Arthashastra...

Ad

Book cover of Why We Hate: Understanding the Roots of Human Conflict

Why We Hate By Michael Ruse,

Why We Hate asks why a social animal like Homo sapiens shows such hostility to fellow species members. The invasion of the Ukraine by Russia? The antisemitism found on US campuses in the last year? The answer and solution lies in the Darwinian theory of evolution through natural selection.

Being…

Want books like Arthashastra?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 63 books like Arthashastra.

Browse books like Arthashastra

Book cover of In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Book cover of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914
Book cover of Embassies in Crisis: Studies of Diplomatic Missions in Testing Situations

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,585

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Sanskrit, diplomacy, and India?

Sanskrit 22 books
Diplomacy 31 books
India 491 books