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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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The '''Book of Five Spheres''' is a [[List of Imperial Tomes|tome]] written by [[Imperial Fists]] battle-brother Rhetoricus that enumerates the Chapter's art of war, martial practices, warrior culture and philosophy.<sup>1</sup> Overall, the ''Five Spheres'' seems to operate as something like the Imperial Fists addendum to the [[Codex Astartes]].
==Background on Rhetoricus and the ''Five Spheres''==While relatively little is known of about Rhetoricus and the ''Book of the Five Spheres'', it is known that the work constituted his magnum opus and was composed near the end of his life , "some long centuries before" the [[M41|41st millennium]]. Among the Chapter, Rhetoricus is considered second only to [[Rogal Dorn]] in knowledge of war, making the tome among the most authoritative texts of the Imperial Fists, and likely the Adeptus Astartes.<sup>1a</sup>
The work deals with a wide array of content of the work is varied and includes subjects ranging from meditation to a comprehensive appraisal of the strengths and limitations of all the potential weapons in an arsenal of the Space MarinesAdeptus Astartes. Concerning the latter, Rheotircus considered the sword the most perfect close-combat weapon devised by man, without which an Imperial Fist rarely steps onto the field of battle.<sup>1a</sup>
In introducing the canonical work to [[aspirant|aspirants]], Captain [[Taelos]] says that "in the estimation of most within the Chapter, it was not until Rhetoricus codified the Rites of Battle that the accumulated wisdom of our noble traditions was finally distilled into one text. In the sacred pages of The Book of Five Spheres did Rhetoricus record all that he knew of weapons and war.”<sup>1a</sup>
