Han Feizi: The Complete Writings

The darkest and most brilliant political thinker of ancient China. Han Fei, a prince of the small state of Han who stammered too badly to speak at court, wrote instead, and his essays so impressed the King of Qin, the future First Emperor, that he went to war to get their author. Han Fei teaches that the ruler must govern by law, the two handles of reward and punishment, and the hidden art of managing ministers who are always plotting against him. His book is full of unforgettable stories: the man who waited by a tree stump for another hare, the spear and shield that could not both be the best. This complete new English translation gives all fifty-five chapters.