Customer Reviews
Two for the price of one
This book is really two pamphlets in one. Each is well worth reading in its own right. Together, they are a real treat.
In the introduction, the author provides a high level but highly instructive overview of the life and times of Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome from A.D. 161 until his death in 180. From the brief biography of Marcus through the discussion of the philosophical traditions that informed the Emperor and, ultimately, the Meditations, to the summary of recurring themes, the Introduction is very worthwhile reading. The author conveniently includes some suggestions for further reading to allow any who are interested to plunge well below the surface that is only lightly touched here.
The heart of the book, the Meditations themselves, is a superb and enduring testament to the community of humankind. Written nearly 2000 years ago, the Meditations, which Marcus never expected to be read by anyone other than himself and, perhaps, his son, reveal how consistently and deeply themes like death, integrity, ethics, and tolerance affect all people at all times. Perhaps the most notable reaction to reading this very accessible translation is that here, speaking across 20 centuries, is the basis for a successful career as a 21st Century "self-help guru".
Way, way before its time
Meditations is the kind of book you can just open up to any page and learn from, a still-relevant lesson about how to set priorities in what Socrates called the examined life. It is also a fascinating tour of the mind of Marcus Aurelius, the military leader, emperor, educator, philanthropist, and philosopher who remains one of history's most noble protagonists, and whose writings reveal the loneliness of his soul without being bitter.
This is a must-have book for the nightstand of anyone living a contemplative life, a profound precursor to modern self-help books written by a Renaissance man who lived centuries before the Renaissance.
There is no plot to summarize here, no accurate generalizations to be made. One gets the idea that these are thoughts the author jotted down, sometimes between appointments and sometimes after months of contemplation. Often they are obvious, sometimes they are obscure. They can seem rooted in history, and at times based on today's current events. They can be funny, surprising, or sad. But they are almost always worthwhile.
A final note: I have two editions of this book, and while I think both this one and the Hicks' translation are very good, I prefer this by a small degree.
Best translation of this classic
This is my favorite translation of the meditations, an opinion further solidified yesterday when I went to the book store to get a last-minute graduation gift for a young man, and all they had was "The Emperor's Handbook" by the Hicks brothers. It was good, but I think it lacked the manliness and concise clarity of the Hays translation. I have not read the original Greek, (trying to learn some now!), so I'm no authority, but I imagine this is how a man like Marcus Aurelius might write to himself in this circumstance.
As for the greatness of the original work itself, all I can add to the other fine reviews here are two quotes I have always loved from Clifton Fadiman's "The Lifetime Reading Plan":
". . . during the last ten years of his life, by the light of a campfire, resting by the remote Danube after a wearisome day of marching or battle, he set down in Greek his Meditations, addressed only to himself but by good fortune now the property of us all," and, "Through the years The Golden Book of Marcus Aurelius, as it has been called, has been read by vast numbers of men and women. They have thought of it not as a classic but as a well spring of consolation and inspiration. It is one of the few books that seem to have helped men directly and immediately to live better, to bear with greater dignity and fortitude the burden of being merely human. Aristotle one studies. Marcus Aurelius men take to their hearts."
