Stephen Mitchell

"At the start of the twentieth century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the nature of advice itself. With honesty, elegance, and a deep understanding of the loneliness that often comes with being an artist, Rilke's letters are an endless source of inspiration and comfort."--from Penguin Classics description.

"In The First Christmas, Stephen Mitchell brings the Nativity story to vivid life as never before. A narrative that is only sketched out in two Gospels becomes fully realized here with nuanced characters and a setting that reflects the culture of the time. Mitchell has suffused the birth of Jesus with a sense of beauty that will delight and astonish readers. In this version, we see the world through the eyes of a Whitmanesque ox and a visionary donkey,...

Out of nowhere, like a fresh breeze in a marketplace crowded with advice on what to believe, comes the author and what she calls "The Work". In the midst of a normal life, she became increasingly depressed, and over a ten-year period sank further into rage, despair, and thoughts of suicide. Then one morning, she woke up in a state of absolute joy, filled with the realization of how her own suffering had ended. The freedom of that realization has...

Internationally acclaimed, bestselling author Byron Katie's most anticipated work since Loving What Is. We live in difficult times, leaving far too many of us suffering from anxiety and depression, fear and anger. In her new and most anticipated work since Loving What Is, beloved spiritual teacher Byron Katie provides a much-needed beacon of light, and a source of hope and joy. In A Mind at Home with Itself, Byron Katie illuminates one of the...

It is the story of literature's first hero, an historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, and his journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Gilgamesh discovers that friendship can bring peace to a whole city and that wisdom can be found only when the quest for it is abandoned.

Presents a 1988 English translation of the classic Chinese manual on the art of living.

The ugly duckling: An ugly duckling spends an unhappy year being teased by other animals before he grows into a beautiful swan. The emperor's new clothes: Two con artists sell a vain emperor an invisible suit of clothes. Nightingale: A lonely emperor is entertained by a songbird that visits his palace. The red shoes: Lisa learns the value of friendship with the help of a pair of magic red slippers. The little match girl: A homeless child must...