A lucid introduction to the Stoic way of life, brimming with ancient advice for modern readers.
Letting it be.
Hodgkinson, author of How To Be Idle (2005), writes that Stoicism is a “living, breathing, practical and rich philosophy which can help us on our route to fulfillment.” More than just a way of facing adversity, the author writes, Stoicism offers moral guidance for public action and spiritual anchors for an inner life. This book offers a history of Stoicism, from the punk-like Greeks who gave up social norms to live on countercultural streets, through Roman rulers, Christian kings, and modern mindful thinkers. Socrates and Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and John Stuart Mill, Montaigne and St. Augustine—just about everyone gets a cameo here. Everyone gets a memorable quote, too. Marcus: “To be moved by passion is not manly, but…mildness and gentleness…are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly.” Montaigne: “Learning lies within us.” The poet Andrew Marvell: “How vainly men themselves amaze / to win the palm, the oak or bayes.” Epictetus: “What is a happy life? It is security and lasting tranquility.” And when we come to that life’s end, the Stoics showed we must not fear. A longer life is not necessarily a better life. The author’s friend, the philosopher Charles Handy, gets some of the last words here: “You too will die, but you will live on processed into the memory of things by the people who knew you and loved you. That is your after life, that’s your new life, that’s the end of your proper life. That is what you are there for, part of the natural order of things.” Stoicism was the original self-help therapy, and this book brings its history and its hopefulness back for our age of doubt.
A lucid introduction to the Stoic way of life, brimming with ancient advice for modern readers.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781399415583
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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