Meditations Ancient Stoic Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius HC “Gladiator” Commodus

Description: Marcus Aurelius: Meditations (Unabridged), Edited by Maxwell Staniforth. NOTE: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don’t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We’re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title. DESCRIPTION: Hardcover with dustjacket: 188 pages. Publisher: Barnes & Noble/Dorsett (1996). Dimensions: Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 8¼ x 5¼ x 1 inch; 1 pound. One of the world’s most famous and influential books, “Meditations”, by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.), incorporates the stoic percepts he used to cope with his life as a warrior and administrator of an empire. Ascending to the imperial throne in 161 AD, Aurelius found his reign beset by natural disasters and war. In the wake of these challenges, he set down a series of private reflections, outlining a philosophy of commitment to virtue above pleasure and tranquility above happiness. Reflecting the emperor’s own noble and self-sacrificing code of conduct, this eloquent and moving work draws and enriches the tradition of Stoicism, which stressed the search for inner peace and ethical certainty in an apparently chaotic world. Serenity was to be achieved by emulating in one’s personal conduct the underlying orderliness and lawfulness of nature. And in the face of the inevitable pain, loss, and death; the suffering at the core of life, Aurelius counsels stoic detachment from the things that are beyond one’s control, and a focus on one’s own will and perception. It not only provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of a highly principled Roman of the second century, but also offers today’s readers a practical and inspirational guide to the challenges of everyday life. CONDITION: NEW. New hardcover w/dustjacket. Barnes & Noble (1996) 188 pages. Unblemished except for very mild edge and corner shelfwear to dustjacket and covers. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Shelfwear to dustjacket is principally in the form of very mild rubbing/crinkling to the dustjacket spine head and top "tips" (the top open corners of the dustjacket, front and back). The dustjacket also evidences light overall rubbing (dustjacket is high gloss, photo-finish dark brown and black and so shows rub marks very easily merely from being shelved between other books). Condition is entirely consistent with new stock from an open-shelf bookstore environment (such as Barnes & Noble or B. Dalton, for example), wherein otherwise new books might show minor signs of shelfwear, consequence of simply being shelved and re-shelved. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #1964.1b. PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEW: REVIEW: Marcus Aurelius reigned from 161 AD to 180 AD, and was perhaps the only true philosopher-king in the history of the world. In his “Meditations”, a series of notes to himself, he formulated his pantheist Stoic beliefs with a passionate religious conviction. The “Meditations” were written day by day, in every situation including war. They often appear to be responses to the stress of supreme power, from the imminent fear of death in battle, to the trials of everyday life. PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: One measure, perhaps, of a book's worth, is its intergenerational pliancy. Do new readers acquire it and interpret it afresh down through the ages? The “Meditations” of Marcus Aurelius, by that standard, is very worthwhile, indeed. Its most recent incarnation, as a “self-help” book, is not only valid, but may be close to the author's intent. The book, sometimes fondly referred to as a "haphazard set of notes", is indicative of the role of philosophy among the ancients in that it is expected to provide a 'design for living. And it does, both aphoristically ("Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly.") and rhetorically ("What is it in ourselves that we should prize?"). Whether these,and other entries ("Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life.") sound life-changing or like entries in a teenager's diary is up to the individual reader, as it should be. The introduction, which sketches the life of Marcus Aurelius (emperor of Rome A.D. 161-180 and co-star of Hollywood’s “Gladiator”) as well as the basic tenets of stoicism, is accessible and jaunty. REVIEW: Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome from AD 161 to 180, and is one of the few emperors whose writings have outlasted his practical achievements. Written on campaign late in his life, his Meditations reveal a clear-headed man, disillusioned with the institutions and citizens of the Empire. Both a historical document and a spiritual diary, the book's vivid imagery and pungent epigrams have prompted comparisons with Pascal's “Pensées” and the book of Ecclesiastes. REVIEW: Few ancient works have been as influential as the “Meditations” of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. REVIEW: A new translation of the philosophical journey that has inspired luminaries from Matthew Arnold to Bill Clinton Written by an intellectual Roman Emperor (Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus, 121–180 A.D., became joint emperor in 161 with adoptive brother Lucius Verus, and ruled alone from 169), the “Meditations” offer a wide range of spiritual reflections developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and the universe. Marcus Aurelius covers topics as diverse as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods, and his own emotions, spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation. REVIEW: Stirring reflections on the human condition from a warrior and emperor provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of a highly principled Roman of the second century. Recognizing that suffering is at the core of life, he counsels stoic detachment in the face of inevitable pain and loss. REVIEW: A remarkably straightforward and readable translation of the passing thoughts, maxims, and musings of a man by nature a saint and sage, by profession an emperor and warrior. “Meditations” is unaffected by time and offers plenty of wisdom. READER REVIEWS: REVIEW: Timeless wisdom for a weary world! "Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill will, and selfishness-all of them due to the offenders' ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the culprit himself, who is my brother; therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading". This selection from "Meditations" captures so much of the essence of this incredibly powerful book. Marcus Aurelius at times sounds more like the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Hesiod, or James Allen than he does his Stoic forerunners. Proof once again that true wisdom resides in every man's heart and mind and transcends the boundaries of time, place, ethnicity,and doctrine. The job of the philosopher is to reintroduce his pupils to themselves, and once the self is realized, the reality of the universe becomes much clearer ("evil" derives from delusions) and the temptations of excess and the fears of deprivation become less powerful. These are true words to live by, more so now than they have ever been before. Happiness can be found in simplicity; hard work does pay off; the cooler head always prevails; immoderate pleasures can kill, and fear is often unfounded. Marcus, like Buddha, was born in the lap of luxury, but he was destined to hold a position in society for which he was not well suited by virtue of his sensitive and studious nature: the ruler of an ancient and corrupt civilization that dominated most of the known world. "Meditations" is Marcus's attempt to cope with a life and a job that he never really wanted. Thankfully, we can apply Marcus's self conversation to the trials and tribulations of everyday life (the same can not be said for most other volumes of Greco-Roman philosophy, and this is especially the case with the over dogmatic Plato). I urge you to read this. Once you do, I guarantee you will read it over and over again and it will take its place on your list of personal, life changing favorites. One last thought: keep in mind that Marcus was a pagan and don't let the fact that Bill Clinton enjoyed the book dissuade you from buying it. REVIEW: The musings of Marcus Aurelius can be seen to be intrinsic insights into the life a emperor, Roman, and a man. A quintessential example of stoicism and as true today as it was two thousand years ago. Beautiful in its admissions and metaphors, it portrays a wonderful insight into the fact that man hasn't changed at all. Although, it can not be considered to be an easy read, it is well worth the effort because it is not supposed to be easy, it is supposed to make you consider your life. As such it is probably the best self-help book on the market. Beautiful and moving, definitely worth a look at. It wasn't saved by Byzantium’s scholars for no reason. If you desire to master pain unroll this book and read with care, and in it find abundantly a knowledge of the things that are, those that have been, and those to come, and know as well that joy and grief are nothing more than empty smoke. REVIEW: If you are at all interested in the history of philosophical or theological thought, then you will want to acquaint yourself with the writings of Marcus Aurelius. In this work addressed to himself (he originally entitled it "To Myself" and it later came to be known as the "Meditations") he distills the essence of Stoicism, one of the most important and influential schools of classical philosophy. This translation combines elegance and clarity, and the introduction is excellent. Stoicism likely formed the rational basis for the fledgling Christian theology. (Interestingly, there is one, rather disparaging, reference to Christians in the text, which I suppose illustrates how significant the movement had become, a century after the death of its founder. Many scholars believe this to be an interpolation by a later author). Indeed, the similarity of this work to the late medieval "The Imitation of Christ" is striking. Part of the fascination of "Meditations" lies, of course, in the fact that Marcus was Emperor of Rome, the greatest power on Earth at that time. We thus get an insight into the mind of an important historical character. This also means that much of what occupied him is hardly relevant to you or me. How many of us are plagued with sycophantic courtiers, or need to remind ourselves that the adulation of the mob may be short-lived? Yet it is clear that, despite all his power and privilege, Marcus was a troubled and pensive soul. One might say that "Meditations" is Stoicism for monarchs, whereas "The Imitation" is Stoicism for monks. If you enjoy one of those books, the chances are you will enjoy the other. REVIEW: The whole point of meditation is to think; at least that's what I think Aurelius' meditations were about (when he wrote them that is) and that's certainly why I bought the book. I'm not a philosophy student or "qualified philosopher" but I think the book is great if you want to "think a little more about the bigger picture" and you're searching for something within yourself. It's incredible how someone circa 120-180 A.D. could have felt and saw things sometimes, somewhat, the way I do. SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS: We always ship books domestically (within the USA) via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). Most international orders cost an additional $9.99 to $37.99 for an insured shipment in a heavily padded mailer. 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Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. 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End Time: 2024-12-08T17:39:57.000Z

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