Little Red Book: Sayings of Chairman Mao

Mao's Quotations in Context

The Little Red Book, formally titled Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, was first compiled by the People's Liberation Army in 1964 and distributed to every soldier. By the time of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), it had been printed in the billions and was carried, waved, and quoted by Red Guards across China. The book collects short excerpts from Mao Zedong's speeches, essays, and directives, organized thematically: the communist party, classes and class struggle, the correct handling of contradictions, war and peace, the mass line, and self-criticism.

Historical Significance

The quotations are brief, dogmatic, and designed to be memorized. They function less as political theory and more as catechism. The book's significance is not primarily intellectual but historical: it was the most printed book of the twentieth century, and its physical presence in the hands of millions of Chinese citizens is one of the defining images of the Maoist era. You cannot understand modern Chinese history, the Cultural Revolution, or the global Maoist movements of the 1960s and 1970s without at least opening this book. This Parvus Magna Press edition is edited by Sharif George.

About This Edition

Author: Mao Zedong (edited by Sharif George)
Publisher: Parvus Magna Press
Format: Paperback