Mao's 'Little Red Book' to Be Reprinted

Communist dictator Mao Tse-tung’s infamous Little Red Book–also known as Quotations from Chairman Mao–is the second most published book in history, second only to the Bible. Now, just in time for Christmas, Chinese readers will be able to purchase a new version in November to mark the 120th anniversary of Mao’s birth. 

Scholars say the reintroduction of Mao’s manifesto echoes China’s leader Xi Jinping’s embrace of Maoism. 

“Xi believes in Maoism,” political scientist Zhang Ming told The Guardian. “He wants to completely revive Mao’s policy and he has already started it.” 

Mao’s American fans also include former Obama White House communications chief Anita Dunn. In 2009, Dunn told an audience of high school students that Mao and Mother Theresa were “two of my favorite political philosophers” and were “the two people that I turn to most.”  

According to Mao scholars Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, “Mao Tse-tung, who for decades held absolute power over the lives of one-quarter of the world’s population, was responsible for well over 70 million deaths in peacetime, more than any other twentieth-century leader.”