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Title: The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by David Hicks, C. Scot Hicks, Marcus Aurelius ISBN: 0-7432-3383-2 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 05 November, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Guidebook to a Harmonious Life
Comment: Although written almost 2000 years ago, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius remains one of the best and most practical books ever written. If you are seeking a guidebook to a harmonious life under any circumstances, this book is the best investment you could ever make. This is an excellent translation that is timely and fluid. Some of these ideas make appearances is popular self-help books from time to time, but no one can match the force of the entire work. You can read it straight through, or open to a random page for insights on a daily basis. I'm giving a copy to my son for his 12th birthday.
Rating: 5
Summary: A source of inspiration
Comment: "What is its individual make-up? Its essence, form, and matter?..
(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, VIII, 11)
I recall when I had in-class Greek examinations, and we were asked to translate quotes of Marcus Aurelius chosen at random. Chance did let me encounter this verse a few times, and each time I did put more effort finalized in the understanding and expression of meanings implied in these straightforward questions.
The greatness of this work could best be found in its brevity and simplicity. The plain style, and the naturalness of writing are persuasive. The moral truths that Marcus Aurelius had accepted in the past, and that much had enlightened his being both an emperor and a conflictual human-being, have been transposed in memorable form. Marcus Aurelius'soliloquy and self-analysis are a great spiritual exercise. As such, the book is an exhortation to think and meditate, and it is especially addressed to those who hold the power, and are in charge of other people who stand for them. The dynamics of leadership haven't changed in the millenia: [Yet] I ask myself if today's leaders are driven and inspired by such honesty of intents?!
Marcus Aurelius had been influenced by the work of Epictetus. Both belong to the late Stoicism: A period that didn't produce anything of original. In this viewpoint, it could be argued that "the Meditations" were a moral set of catchphrases of the earlier Stoa. As such, this work doesn't bring any novelty neither in physics, nor in logics, and ethics, or epistemology. It could also be argued that Marcus Aurelius was not a philosopher at all, but rather a self-disciplined and very well-educated man and leader. He didn't produce these chapters neither for a vast audience nor for publication. Things are best remembered when written down. As such, the emperor wrote expressions of his thought, and read them again and again to himself. I believe that this discipline much helped him to find the strength and willpower necessary to face enemies outside (and inside) Rome, and the destiny of the antiquity's greatest empire.
The "Meditations" are therefore a powerful and elightening work of self-analysis and virtues' devotion. Although it does not add anything new to the phylosophical Zeitgeist, it can be argued that -- on the contrary, both brevity and simplicity, are here best expressed with a plain, natural, and unpretentious style. Such lack of redundant embellishments make this work a duly inspiring masterwork.
This version is a very solid and contemporary transposition of Marcus Aurelius'notes. Both mastery and choice of terms are remarkable. Not only the Hicks have captured the essence and clarity of the emperor's thought and affection, but also have given him fresh and renewed life and recognition.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Masterful Translation of a Masterpiece
Comment: The Hicks brothers' collaboration has produced a masterful translation of a masterpiece. "The Emperor's Handbook" captures the sublime essence and ancient character of "The Meditations" but never strays into the arcane terminology of the ancient Stoics. The Hicks brothers also avoid the forced and complex grammatical constructs found in other translations. This translation could easily be understood by a sixth grade child yet it sacrifices none of the profound meaning or prosaic beauty of the original. Most refreshing is the absence of any effort to turn the work into some New-Age mystical revelation.
Having read about nine translations I must say, this one is, by far, the best contemporary English translation available. There are other fine ones such as the work by Hard and Gill or even the Loeb Classics version but they are better suited for people already familiar with Marcus Aurelius and Stoic philosophy.
My warmest thanks go out to David and Scot Hicks for a work that I hope will broaden the audience of Marcus Aurelius.
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Title: Meditations by MARCUS AURELIUS, GREGORY HAYS ISBN: 0812968255 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The Art of Living : The Classical Mannual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus, Sharon Lebell ISBN: 0062513222 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 06 October, 1995 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Michael Chase, Pierre Hadot ISBN: 0674007077 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: December, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Enchiridion by Epictetus, George Long ISBN: 0879757035 Publisher: Promethean Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1955 List Price(USD): $7.00 |
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Title: Stoic Philosophy of Seneca Essays and Letters by Seneca, Moses Hadas ISBN: 0393004597 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: September, 1968 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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