The Roman History: The Reign of Augustus by Cassius Dio (translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert) Penguin (1 June 1987) Amazon Another one for those who like to think about the Roman Empire. The Roman History by Cassius Dio is an excellent intersection of history and philosophy, and one of the most important surviving accounts of how … Continue reading The Roman History: The Reign of Augustus
Category: Book summaries
The Book of Dead Philosophers
The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley Knopf Doubleday (10 February 2009) Amazon I wish we had this book when I studied philosophy during my VCE and undergrad years. The ones assigned -- aside from all the photocopied extracts of Plato and Nietzsche -- I'd honestly forgotten until I was drafting this post. Sophie's … Continue reading The Book of Dead Philosophers
You Can Negotiate Anything
You Can Negotiate Anything: The World's Best Negotiator Tells You How to Get What You Want by Herb Cohen Bantam Dell (1 January 1984) Amazon A bestselling text on negotiation, You Can Negotiate Anything was first published in the 1980s. It became an instant classic, credited as bringing negotiation out of the boardrooms of the … Continue reading You Can Negotiate Anything
On the Good Life
On the Good Life by Cicero Penguin (1 April 1980) Amazon On the Good Life is a Penguin collection of Cicero's ethical writings, translated for a modern audience by Michael Grant. Themes in these works include friendship, duty, virtue, happiness, and public service. The questions presented in the text tend to be practical. How should … Continue reading On the Good Life
On Grief and Reason
On Grief and Reason: Essays by Joseph Brodsky Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc. (10 April 1997) Amazon A posthumously published collection of Joseph Brodsky's essays, On Grief and Reason is a series of meditations on literature as a moral and civilising force. For Brodsky, poetry is something that sharpens perception, preserves individual freedom, and is … Continue reading On Grief and Reason
The Philosophy of Epictetus
The Philosophy of Epictetus by John Bonforte (ed.) Literary Licensing (15 October 2011) Amazon The Philosophy of Epictetus is a short, mid-twentieth century compilation of the teachings of Epictetus. Edited by John Bonforte, it makes for a nice curated intro to the philosopher, sourced mostly from the Discourses. Based on earlier translations, it's lightly edited … Continue reading The Philosophy of Epictetus
Toussaint Louverture
Toussaint Louverture: A Biography by Madison Smartt Bell Vintage (1 February 2008) Amazon Biography of a former slave who challenged an emperor and led the Haitian Revolution. Relatively short, but dense, which might be due to Madison Smartt Bell's background as a novelist. If you were being kind, you would say Louverture was a divisive … Continue reading Toussaint Louverture
The Gift of Fear
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker Little, Brown (30 March 2021) Amazon Remember seeing this book on Walter White's nightstand in Breaking Bad? Lawrence remembers. The Gift of Fear is a bestseller on personal safety. Author and security specialist Gavin De Becker argues that one's intuition … Continue reading The Gift of Fear
How to Live
How to Live: Or, a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell Other Press (20 September 2011) Amazon Michel de Montaigne is one of my favourite philosophers ever, and How to Live by Sarah Bakewell is one of my favourite biographies. It's not just a conventional cradle-to-grave … Continue reading How to Live
Meditations
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (translated by Gregory Hays) Random House (15 May 2003) Amazon This is it. The book that has inspired people from all walks of life, from CEOs and world leaders to ordinary people alike. A favourite of Daily Stoic founder Ryan Holiday. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Originally written in Koine Greek … Continue reading Meditations
Lawrence Deveney 