The 100 Books That Changed the World may not be capable of brokering peace deals, solving childhood hunger, or curing infectious disease, but they do have enormous significance for humankind. Some were among the first to record ethical principles and philosophy (The Analects of Confucius, Plato's The Republic); others helped to create the blueprint for literature as we know it (The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey); still others democratized the written word and the knowledge it disseminates (the Gutenberg Bible, Louis Braille's Procedure for Writing Words, Music and Plainsong in Dots). Political, scientific, economic, and cultural milestones abound—The Rights of Man, The Feminine Mystique, Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, Silent Spring, The Diary of a Young Girl, How to Win Friends and Influence People…each entry is examined in its historical context with full-color photographs and illustrations. Can books really change the world? Absolutely!