The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, David V. Hicks, C. Scot Hicks, David Hicks

4.22 AVERAGE

hilaritas's review against another edition

5.0
You don't really read this because of Marcus's strength as a philosopher. He's frankly not an especially deep thinker and he often elides some of the more technical arguments of Stoicism. However, as a psychological portrait of a man struggling to overcome his own weaknesses and give flight to the better angels of his nature, this book is basically beyond compare. It's repetitive and by turns wheedling then aspirational, which is exactly what you would expect from someone exhorting himself to Be Better. Behind all of his noble thoughts, you can sense the real anxiety and failures to live up to his ideals that make Marcus so compelling: another flawed human, even as he sits at the apex of social power and influence. While I don't always find his arguments convincing, I am nonetheless inspired by his efforts to give philosophy (in the broad sense of a way of living thoughtfully) the place of honor in his dealings with the world. Further, this translation is wonderfully lucid, and the introductory essay capably situates Marcus his historical context and sketches out the philosophical traditions with which he's wrestling. This is a great edition of a great book.