An English translation of the radical views of Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri is to go on sale.
New York publisher Doubleday is set to release The al Qaeda Reader- a history of the terror network in its leaders' own words - next year.
Doubleday spokeswoman Ms Suzanne Herz said: "It's important to know what our enemy is thinking. It gives us a beeline into their thoughts, ideas and teachings."
The book is based on translations of two separate Arabic volumes published in the Middle East.
The older text is a collection of interviews with Bin Laden and his top associates about the origins of al-Qaeda, the other is a collection of al-Zawahri's writings, Bitter Harvest, published in Jordan.
It will also feature additional interviews with Bin Laden that appeared in the Arab press.
Mr Raymond Ibrahim, a language specialist at the United States Library of Congress, will translate the work and provide commentary. His agent, Mr Glen Hartley, said: "I saw this a chance for people to see the passions and motivations of people who want to destroy the West."
Doubleday, a subsidiary of Random House, confirmed it views the texts as historical documents and that royalties would not be paid to either terrorist leader.