Known best for his writings on the history of his own times, Xenophon (435-354 B.C.) was a philosopher, soldier, and mercenary who wrote several essays dealing with military practices of the ancient world. "On Horsemanship", one of his earliest known works, concentrates on the various aspects of selecting, training, and caring for a horse, and is still an extraordinary guide to equestrian study even 2,300 years after it was originally written. In "The Duties of a Hipparch", Xenophon employs his personal experience and vast military knowledge in a treatise discussing the responsibilities and strengths of a successful cavalry general. "On Hunting" discusses the mythology, process and practicality of hunting—in particular the details of hunting with hounds. The works in this collection, written on those "arts" which Xenophon considered especially important, are accessible, thorough, and enlightened treatises that continue to educate readers over two millennia after their conception.
