Meditations

I would recommend a paperback instead as it is very thin cover and a4 size so a little awkward in most backpacks but if aware of that and you don’t mind fantastic for under £3!

Pamphlet format rather rather thAn book

I am reviewing the paperback edition (2011) of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations in the Oxford World's Classics edition, translated by Robin Hard with an introduction by Christopher Gill. I do not understand the one-star reviews that appear to have become attched to this edition of the Meditations. Those reviews and the images associated with a few of them must be referring to a completely different edition, and not the one I have in front of me that I reently purchased via Amazon.The Oxford World 's Classics edition (2011) is about as close to a perfect edition as you can get as a general reader. The translation is modern and fluent. There are no gobbledygook mistranslations as mentioned in some of the reviews. Robin Hard's translation of the Meditations is based on the the recent text by J. Dalfen (Leipzig, 2nd edn.,1987) while following the earlier translation by A S L Farquharson (Oxford, 1944) here and there. It reads consistently well, with no inappropriate modern slang or grammatical errors. It is a solid and clear text. The 18-page introduction by Christopher Gill is excellent in my view, particularly where it focuses on the form, purpose and style of the book, Marcus's philosophy, and the book's core ideas and recurrent themes. The selection of letters between Marcus and Fronto is also judicious and useful in fleshing out other aspects of Marcus Aurelius's character and thought. The 30-pages of explanatory notes and the index at the end of the book are also very helpful.So, all in all, I am entitely satisfied with this edition. I was simnply amazed to see the negative reviews, and felt prompted to provide this review to put the record straight as far as this specific edtion goes. As I said earier, those negative reviews must be referring to other editions of the Meditations and not to this specific one. This paperback edition Is 176 pages of clear, erudite and thoughtful work. if you want an edition that gives you just what you need to start reading and appreciating Marcus Aurelius's Meditations then this one - the 2011 Oxford Wolrd's Classics by Robin Hard and Christoper Gill - would be a very good place to start. And at the price I paid (£5.76), I am very pleased with it.

It’s good in parts but almost unreadable in parts too. It may be the translation but it’s difficult to understand some parts. There are clearly references to contemporary Roman events and people and this adds to that. So read but don’t expect it to be a good read but worthwhile for a few nuggets of spiritual ideas.

Always difficult to know what translation and what version works for me ! I’m no philosopher or language expert so accessibility vs accuracy always a play off - however this is working well for me. And despite kindle versions it nice to hold a real hard back book !

Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome when it was at its peak; after his death, the empire slowly fell apart as those that followed him proved to be poor leaders. He was not the normal example of a Roman Emperor; scholastic, thoughful, abstemious, and this book gives good insight into what motivated him.The book itself is a Victorian translation, and the author has tried to make the text sound a bit dated by using language that he would have found little old, but to us would sound more archaic. Having said that, the words still come through quite well. It appears to be a series of books written over a period of time, and then brought together to make one single volume.There are a lot of really good passages throughout, with many examples of excellent advice for living a full and satisfying life. Although nearly 2000 years old, there is no question that many of his suggestions are as relevant today as they would have been at that time, and I would strongly recommend this book for those looking for ways to improve themselves.I would have given this 5 stars, but the style of writing does make it a bit awkward to follow sometimes. For that reason, I would suggest reading it in smaller sections.

Good read, good help.

Although it reads like someone's journal (because it was) and the points in each of the somewhat unnecessary chapters are largely disconnected with each other, the actual content within these short aphorisms is sublime. I see some decrying this as a jumbled mess of a philosophic work but it was never intended as a treatise; Aurelius wrote it for his own personal consumption, a collection of his personal viewpoints on topics such as metaphysics and ethics. More to the point, what he wrote was beautiful, practical stoic philosophy as applicable now as it was ~1800 years ago, with the obvious exception of his religion. I find the similarities between his type of stoic thought and the philosophy of the Taoists and Buddhists both compelling and strong yet he remains firmly within a Roman set.This isn't an organised discourse or a philosophic novel to get lost in; more metaphysics in bite sized chunks, but it is well worth a read. I read it in a succession of bus journeys to and from work, and there was something very profound and "right" about that in itself!Definitely recommended, though I concede its not the be all and end all work of the stoic thinkers