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Meditations

Author Marcus Aurelius
Introduction by Diskin Clay
Edited by Martin Hammond
Translated by Martin Hammond
Notes by Martin Hammond
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$11.00 US
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Classics
On sale Oct 31, 2006 | 304 Pages | 978-0-14-044933-4
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  • English > Classics > Latin Language and Literature
  • History > Period History: Western Civilization > Roman History
  • History > Topical History > History of Philosophy
  • Philosophy > Core Topics > Philosophy of Man
  • Philosophy > Ethics > Ethical Theory
  • Philosophy > History > Ancient Philosophy
  • Philosophy > History > Western Philosophy
  • About
  • Excerpt
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A leading translation of Stoic philosophy in wise and practical aphorisms that have inspired Bill Clinton, Ryan Holiday, Anna Kendrick and many more.

Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius  offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and the values of leadership. But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.

To provide a full understanding of Aurelius's seminal work, this edition includes explanatory notes, a general index, an index of quotations, an index of names, and an introduction by Diskin Clay putting the work in its biographical, historical, and literary context, a chronology of Marcus Aurelius's life and career.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Book 1

Debts and Lessons

1. My grandfather Verus

Character and self-control.

2. My father (from my own memories and

his reputation)

Integrity and manliness.

3. My mother

Her reverence for the divine, her generosity, her inability not only to do wrong but even to conceive of doing it. And the simple way she lived-not in the least like the rich.

4. My great-grandfather

To avoid the public schools, to hire good private teachers, and to accept the resulting costs as money well-spent.

5. My first teacher

Not to support this side or that in chariot-racing, this fighter or that in the games. To put up with discomfort and not make demands. To do my own work, mind my own business, and have no time for slanderers.

6. Diognetus

Not to waste time on nonsense. Not to be taken in by conjurors and hoodoo artists with their talk about incantations and exorcism and all the rest of it. Not to be obsessed with quail-fighting or other crazes like that. To hear unwelcome truths. To practice philosophy, and to study with Baccheius, and then with Tandasis and Marcianus. To write dialogues as a student. To choose the Greek lifestyle-the camp-bed and the cloak.

7. Rusticus

The recognition that I needed to train and discipline my character.

Not to be sidetracked by my interest in rhetoric. Not to write treatises on abstract questions, or deliver moralizing little sermons, or compose imaginary descriptions of The Simple Life or The Man Who Lives Only for Others. To steer clear of oratory, poetry and belles lettres.

Not to dress up just to stroll around the house, or things like that. To write straightforward letters (like the one he sent my mother from Sinuessa). And to behave in a conciliatory way when people who have angered or annoyed us want to make up.

To read attentively-not to be satisfied with "just getting the gist of it." And not to fall for every smooth talker.

And for introducing me to Epictetus's lectures-and loaning me his own copy.

8. Apollonius

Independence and unvarying reliability, and to pay attention to nothing, no matter how fleetingly, except the logos. And to be the same in all circumstances-intense pain, the loss of a child, chronic illness. And to see clearly, from his example, that a man can show both strength and flexibility.

His patience in teaching. And to have seen someone who clearly viewed his expertise and ability as a teacher as the humblest of virtues.

And to have learned how to accept favors from friends without losing your self-respect or appearing ungrateful.

9. Sextus

Kindness.

An example of fatherly authority in the home. What it means to live as nature requires.

Gravity without airs.

To show intuitive sympathy for friends, tolerance to amateurs and sloppy thinkers. His ability to get along with everyone: sharing his company was the highest of compliments, and the opportunity an honor for those around him.

To investigate and analyze, with understanding and logic, the principles we ought to live by.

Not to display anger or other emotions. To be free of passion and yet full of love.

To praise without bombast; to display expertise without pretension.

10. The literary critic Alexander

Not to be constantly correcting people, and in particular not to jump on them whenever they make an error of usage or a grammatical mistake or mispronounce something, but just answer their question or add another example, or debate the issue itself (not their phrasing), or make some other contribution to the discussion-and casually insert the correct expression.

11. Fronto

To recognize the malice, cunning and hypocrisy that power produces, and the peculiar ruthlessness often shown by people from "good families."

12. Alexander the Platonist

Not to be constantly telling people (or writing them) that I'm too busy, unless I really am. Similarly, not to be always ducking my responsibilities to the people around me because of "pressing business."

13. Catulus

Not to shrug off a friend's resentment-even unjustified resentment-but try to put things right.

To show your teachers ungrudging respect (the Domitius and Athenodotus story), and your children unfeigned love.

14. [My brother] Severus

To love my family, truth and justice. It was through him that I encountered Thrasea, Helvidius, Cato, Dion and Brutus, and conceived of a society of equal laws, governed by equality of status and of speech, and of rulers who respect the liberty of their subjects above all else.

And from him as well, to be steady and consistent in valuing philosophy.

And to help others and be eager to share, not to be a pessimist, and never to doubt your friends' affection for you. And that when people incurred his disapproval, they always knew it. And that his friends never had to speculate about his attitude to anything: it was always clear.

15. Maximus

Self-control and resistance to distractions.

Optimism in adversity-especially illness.

A personality in balance: dignity and grace together.

Doing your job without whining.

Other people's certainty that what he said was what he thought, and what he did was done without malice.

Never taken aback or apprehensive. Neither rash nor hesitant-or bewildered, or at a loss. Not obsequious-but not aggressive or paranoid either.

Generosity, charity, honesty.

The sense he gave of staying on the path rather than being kept on it.

That no one could ever have felt patronized by him-or in a position to patronize him.

A sense of humor.

16. My adopted father

Compassion. Unwavering adherence to decisions, once he'd reached them. Indifference to superficial honors. Hard work. Persistence.

Listening to anyone who could contribute to the public good.

His dogged determination to treat people as they deserved.

A sense of when to push and when to back off.

Putting a stop to the pursuit of boys.

His altruism. Not expecting his friends to keep him entertained at dinner or to travel with him (unless they wanted to). And anyone who had to stay behind to take care of something always found him the same when he returned.

His searching questions at meetings. A kind of single-mindedness, almost, never content with first impressions, or breaking off the discussion prematurely.

His constancy to friends-never getting fed up with them, or playing favorites.

Self-reliance, always. And cheerfulness.

And his advance planning (well in advance) and his discreet attention to even minor things.

His restrictions on acclamations-and all attempts to flatter him.

His constant devotion to the empire's needs. His stewardship of the treasury. His willingness to take responsibility-and blame-for both.

His attitude to the gods: no superstitiousness. And his attitude to men: no demagoguery, no currying favor, no pandering. Always sober, always steady, and never vulgar or a prey to fads.

The way he handled the material comforts that fortune had supplied him in such abundance-without arrogance and without apology. If they were there, he took advantage of them. If not, he didn't miss them.

No one ever called him glib, or shameless, or pedantic. They saw him for what he was: a man tested by life, accomplished, unswayed by flattery, qualified to govern both himself and them.

His respect for people who practiced philosophy-at least, those who were sincere about it. But without denigrating the others-or listening to them.

His ability to feel at ease with people-and put them at their ease, without being pushy.

His willingness to take adequate care of himself. Not a hypochondriac or obsessed with his appearance, but not ignoring things either. With the result that he hardly ever needed medical attention, or drugs or any sort of salve or ointment.

This, in particular: his willingness to yield the floor to experts-in oratory, law, psychology, whatever-and to support them energetically, so that each of them could fulfil his potential.

That he respected tradition without needing to constantly congratulate himself for Safeguarding Our Traditional Values.

Not prone to go off on tangents, or pulled in all directions, but sticking with the same old places and the same old things.

The way he could have one of his migraines and then go right back to what he was doing-fresh and at the top of his game.

That he had so few secrets-only state secrets, in fact, and not all that many of those.

The way he kept public actions within reasonable bounds-games, building projects, distributions of money and so on-because he looked to what needed doing and not the credit to be gained from doing it.

No bathing at strange hours, no self-indulgent building projects, no concern for food, or the cut and color of his clothes, or having attractive slaves. (The robe from his farm at Lorium, most of the things at Lanuvium, the way he accepted the customs agent's apology at Tusculum, etc.)

He never exhibited rudeness, lost control of himself, or turned violent. No one ever saw him sweat. Everything was to be approached logically and with due consideration, in a calm and orderly fashion but decisively, and with no loose ends.

You could have said of him (as they say of Socrates) that he knew how to enjoy and abstain from things that most people find it hard to abstain from and all too easy to enjoy. Strength, perseverance, self-control in both areas: the mark of a soul in readiness-indomitable.

(Maximus's illness.)

17. The Gods

That I had good grandparents, a good mother and father, a good sister, good teachers, good servants, relatives, friends-almost without exception. And that I never lost control of myself with any of them, although I had it in me to do that, and I might have, easily. But thanks to the gods, I was never put in that position, and so escaped the test.

That I wasn't raised by my grandfather's girlfriend for longer than I was. That I didn't lose my virginity too early, and didn't enter adulthood until it was time-put it off, even.

That I had someone-as a ruler and as a father-who could keep me from being arrogant and make me realize that even at court you can live without a troop of bodyguards, and gorgeous clothes, lamps, sculpture-the whole charade. That you can behave almost like an ordinary person without seeming slovenly or careless as a ruler or when carrying out official obligations.

That I had the kind of brother I did. One whose character challenged me to improve my own. One whose love and affection enriched my life.

That my children weren't born stupid or physically deformed.

That I wasn't more talented in rhetoric or poetry, or other areas. If I'd felt that I was making better progress I might never have given them up.

That I conferred on the people who brought me up the honors they seemed to want early on, instead of putting them off (since they were still young) with the hope that I'd do it later.

That I knew Apollonius, and Rusticus, and Maximus.

That I saw was shown clearly and often what it would be like to live as nature requires. The gods did all they could-through their gifts, their help, their inspiration-to ensure that I could live as nature demands. And if I've failed, it's no one's fault but mine. Because I didn't pay attention to what they told me-to what they taught me, practically, step by step.

That my body has held out, especially considering the life I've led.

That I never laid a finger on Benedicta or on Theodotus. And that even later, when I was overcome by passion, I recovered from it.

That even though I was often upset with Rusticus I never did anything I would have regretted later.

That even though she died young, at least my mother spent her last years with me.

That whenever I felt like helping someone who was short of money, or otherwise in need, I never had to be told that I had no resources to do it with. And that I was never put in that position myself-of having to take something from someone else.

That I have the wife I do: obedient, loving, humble.

That children had competent teachers.

Remedies granted through dreams-when I was coughing blood, for instance, and having fits of dizziness. And the one at Caieta.

That when I became interested in philosophy I didn't fall into the hands of charlatans, and didn't get bogged down in writing treatises, or become absorbed by logic-chopping, or preoccupied with physics.

All things for which "we need the help of fortune and the gods."
Copyright © 2002 by Marcus Aurelius. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Gregory Hays is associate professor of classics at the University of Virginia.
 
Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 CE) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus). The last of the so-called Five Good Emperors, he ruled alone from 169. Presiding over a changing Rome, he spent much of his reign in putting down various rebellions. Today, he is best-know for his Meditations, a series of reflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which cemented his place as one of the greatest Stoic Philosophers. He died in 180 and was succeed by his natural son, thus ending the period of the adoptive emperors. View titles by Marcus Aurelius

About

A leading translation of Stoic philosophy in wise and practical aphorisms that have inspired Bill Clinton, Ryan Holiday, Anna Kendrick and many more.

Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius  offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and the values of leadership. But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.

To provide a full understanding of Aurelius's seminal work, this edition includes explanatory notes, a general index, an index of quotations, an index of names, and an introduction by Diskin Clay putting the work in its biographical, historical, and literary context, a chronology of Marcus Aurelius's life and career.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Excerpt

Book 1

Debts and Lessons

1. My grandfather Verus

Character and self-control.

2. My father (from my own memories and

his reputation)

Integrity and manliness.

3. My mother

Her reverence for the divine, her generosity, her inability not only to do wrong but even to conceive of doing it. And the simple way she lived-not in the least like the rich.

4. My great-grandfather

To avoid the public schools, to hire good private teachers, and to accept the resulting costs as money well-spent.

5. My first teacher

Not to support this side or that in chariot-racing, this fighter or that in the games. To put up with discomfort and not make demands. To do my own work, mind my own business, and have no time for slanderers.

6. Diognetus

Not to waste time on nonsense. Not to be taken in by conjurors and hoodoo artists with their talk about incantations and exorcism and all the rest of it. Not to be obsessed with quail-fighting or other crazes like that. To hear unwelcome truths. To practice philosophy, and to study with Baccheius, and then with Tandasis and Marcianus. To write dialogues as a student. To choose the Greek lifestyle-the camp-bed and the cloak.

7. Rusticus

The recognition that I needed to train and discipline my character.

Not to be sidetracked by my interest in rhetoric. Not to write treatises on abstract questions, or deliver moralizing little sermons, or compose imaginary descriptions of The Simple Life or The Man Who Lives Only for Others. To steer clear of oratory, poetry and belles lettres.

Not to dress up just to stroll around the house, or things like that. To write straightforward letters (like the one he sent my mother from Sinuessa). And to behave in a conciliatory way when people who have angered or annoyed us want to make up.

To read attentively-not to be satisfied with "just getting the gist of it." And not to fall for every smooth talker.

And for introducing me to Epictetus's lectures-and loaning me his own copy.

8. Apollonius

Independence and unvarying reliability, and to pay attention to nothing, no matter how fleetingly, except the logos. And to be the same in all circumstances-intense pain, the loss of a child, chronic illness. And to see clearly, from his example, that a man can show both strength and flexibility.

His patience in teaching. And to have seen someone who clearly viewed his expertise and ability as a teacher as the humblest of virtues.

And to have learned how to accept favors from friends without losing your self-respect or appearing ungrateful.

9. Sextus

Kindness.

An example of fatherly authority in the home. What it means to live as nature requires.

Gravity without airs.

To show intuitive sympathy for friends, tolerance to amateurs and sloppy thinkers. His ability to get along with everyone: sharing his company was the highest of compliments, and the opportunity an honor for those around him.

To investigate and analyze, with understanding and logic, the principles we ought to live by.

Not to display anger or other emotions. To be free of passion and yet full of love.

To praise without bombast; to display expertise without pretension.

10. The literary critic Alexander

Not to be constantly correcting people, and in particular not to jump on them whenever they make an error of usage or a grammatical mistake or mispronounce something, but just answer their question or add another example, or debate the issue itself (not their phrasing), or make some other contribution to the discussion-and casually insert the correct expression.

11. Fronto

To recognize the malice, cunning and hypocrisy that power produces, and the peculiar ruthlessness often shown by people from "good families."

12. Alexander the Platonist

Not to be constantly telling people (or writing them) that I'm too busy, unless I really am. Similarly, not to be always ducking my responsibilities to the people around me because of "pressing business."

13. Catulus

Not to shrug off a friend's resentment-even unjustified resentment-but try to put things right.

To show your teachers ungrudging respect (the Domitius and Athenodotus story), and your children unfeigned love.

14. [My brother] Severus

To love my family, truth and justice. It was through him that I encountered Thrasea, Helvidius, Cato, Dion and Brutus, and conceived of a society of equal laws, governed by equality of status and of speech, and of rulers who respect the liberty of their subjects above all else.

And from him as well, to be steady and consistent in valuing philosophy.

And to help others and be eager to share, not to be a pessimist, and never to doubt your friends' affection for you. And that when people incurred his disapproval, they always knew it. And that his friends never had to speculate about his attitude to anything: it was always clear.

15. Maximus

Self-control and resistance to distractions.

Optimism in adversity-especially illness.

A personality in balance: dignity and grace together.

Doing your job without whining.

Other people's certainty that what he said was what he thought, and what he did was done without malice.

Never taken aback or apprehensive. Neither rash nor hesitant-or bewildered, or at a loss. Not obsequious-but not aggressive or paranoid either.

Generosity, charity, honesty.

The sense he gave of staying on the path rather than being kept on it.

That no one could ever have felt patronized by him-or in a position to patronize him.

A sense of humor.

16. My adopted father

Compassion. Unwavering adherence to decisions, once he'd reached them. Indifference to superficial honors. Hard work. Persistence.

Listening to anyone who could contribute to the public good.

His dogged determination to treat people as they deserved.

A sense of when to push and when to back off.

Putting a stop to the pursuit of boys.

His altruism. Not expecting his friends to keep him entertained at dinner or to travel with him (unless they wanted to). And anyone who had to stay behind to take care of something always found him the same when he returned.

His searching questions at meetings. A kind of single-mindedness, almost, never content with first impressions, or breaking off the discussion prematurely.

His constancy to friends-never getting fed up with them, or playing favorites.

Self-reliance, always. And cheerfulness.

And his advance planning (well in advance) and his discreet attention to even minor things.

His restrictions on acclamations-and all attempts to flatter him.

His constant devotion to the empire's needs. His stewardship of the treasury. His willingness to take responsibility-and blame-for both.

His attitude to the gods: no superstitiousness. And his attitude to men: no demagoguery, no currying favor, no pandering. Always sober, always steady, and never vulgar or a prey to fads.

The way he handled the material comforts that fortune had supplied him in such abundance-without arrogance and without apology. If they were there, he took advantage of them. If not, he didn't miss them.

No one ever called him glib, or shameless, or pedantic. They saw him for what he was: a man tested by life, accomplished, unswayed by flattery, qualified to govern both himself and them.

His respect for people who practiced philosophy-at least, those who were sincere about it. But without denigrating the others-or listening to them.

His ability to feel at ease with people-and put them at their ease, without being pushy.

His willingness to take adequate care of himself. Not a hypochondriac or obsessed with his appearance, but not ignoring things either. With the result that he hardly ever needed medical attention, or drugs or any sort of salve or ointment.

This, in particular: his willingness to yield the floor to experts-in oratory, law, psychology, whatever-and to support them energetically, so that each of them could fulfil his potential.

That he respected tradition without needing to constantly congratulate himself for Safeguarding Our Traditional Values.

Not prone to go off on tangents, or pulled in all directions, but sticking with the same old places and the same old things.

The way he could have one of his migraines and then go right back to what he was doing-fresh and at the top of his game.

That he had so few secrets-only state secrets, in fact, and not all that many of those.

The way he kept public actions within reasonable bounds-games, building projects, distributions of money and so on-because he looked to what needed doing and not the credit to be gained from doing it.

No bathing at strange hours, no self-indulgent building projects, no concern for food, or the cut and color of his clothes, or having attractive slaves. (The robe from his farm at Lorium, most of the things at Lanuvium, the way he accepted the customs agent's apology at Tusculum, etc.)

He never exhibited rudeness, lost control of himself, or turned violent. No one ever saw him sweat. Everything was to be approached logically and with due consideration, in a calm and orderly fashion but decisively, and with no loose ends.

You could have said of him (as they say of Socrates) that he knew how to enjoy and abstain from things that most people find it hard to abstain from and all too easy to enjoy. Strength, perseverance, self-control in both areas: the mark of a soul in readiness-indomitable.

(Maximus's illness.)

17. The Gods

That I had good grandparents, a good mother and father, a good sister, good teachers, good servants, relatives, friends-almost without exception. And that I never lost control of myself with any of them, although I had it in me to do that, and I might have, easily. But thanks to the gods, I was never put in that position, and so escaped the test.

That I wasn't raised by my grandfather's girlfriend for longer than I was. That I didn't lose my virginity too early, and didn't enter adulthood until it was time-put it off, even.

That I had someone-as a ruler and as a father-who could keep me from being arrogant and make me realize that even at court you can live without a troop of bodyguards, and gorgeous clothes, lamps, sculpture-the whole charade. That you can behave almost like an ordinary person without seeming slovenly or careless as a ruler or when carrying out official obligations.

That I had the kind of brother I did. One whose character challenged me to improve my own. One whose love and affection enriched my life.

That my children weren't born stupid or physically deformed.

That I wasn't more talented in rhetoric or poetry, or other areas. If I'd felt that I was making better progress I might never have given them up.

That I conferred on the people who brought me up the honors they seemed to want early on, instead of putting them off (since they were still young) with the hope that I'd do it later.

That I knew Apollonius, and Rusticus, and Maximus.

That I saw was shown clearly and often what it would be like to live as nature requires. The gods did all they could-through their gifts, their help, their inspiration-to ensure that I could live as nature demands. And if I've failed, it's no one's fault but mine. Because I didn't pay attention to what they told me-to what they taught me, practically, step by step.

That my body has held out, especially considering the life I've led.

That I never laid a finger on Benedicta or on Theodotus. And that even later, when I was overcome by passion, I recovered from it.

That even though I was often upset with Rusticus I never did anything I would have regretted later.

That even though she died young, at least my mother spent her last years with me.

That whenever I felt like helping someone who was short of money, or otherwise in need, I never had to be told that I had no resources to do it with. And that I was never put in that position myself-of having to take something from someone else.

That I have the wife I do: obedient, loving, humble.

That children had competent teachers.

Remedies granted through dreams-when I was coughing blood, for instance, and having fits of dizziness. And the one at Caieta.

That when I became interested in philosophy I didn't fall into the hands of charlatans, and didn't get bogged down in writing treatises, or become absorbed by logic-chopping, or preoccupied with physics.

All things for which "we need the help of fortune and the gods."
Copyright © 2002 by Marcus Aurelius. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author

Gregory Hays is associate professor of classics at the University of Virginia.
 
Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 CE) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus). The last of the so-called Five Good Emperors, he ruled alone from 169. Presiding over a changing Rome, he spent much of his reign in putting down various rebellions. Today, he is best-know for his Meditations, a series of reflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which cemented his place as one of the greatest Stoic Philosophers. He died in 180 and was succeed by his natural son, thus ending the period of the adoptive emperors. View titles by Marcus Aurelius

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    Random House Audio
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  • Letters from a Stoic
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    $19.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Jul 29, 2014
  • The Jungle Books
    The Jungle Books
    Rudyard Kipling
    978-0-14-119665-7
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Jul 30, 2013
  • Les Miserables
    Les Miserables
    Victor Hugo, Coralie Bickford-Smith
    978-1-84614-049-5
    $31.00 US
    Hardcover
    Penguin Classics
    Nov 14, 2012
  • The Modern Library Collection of Greek and Roman Philosophy 3-Book Bundle
    The Modern Library Collection of Greek and Roman Philosophy 3-Book Bundle
    Meditations; Selected Dialogues of Plato; The Basic Works of Aristotle
    Marcus Aurelius, Plato, Aristotle
    978-0-679-64570-2
    $7.99 US
    Ebook
    Modern Library
    Aug 06, 2012
  • Sense and Sensibility
    Sense and Sensibility
    (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
    Jane Austen
    978-0-14-310652-4
    $17.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Oct 25, 2011
  • Great Expectations
    Great Expectations
    (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
    Charles Dickens, Tom Haugomat
    978-0-14-310627-2
    $16.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 28, 2010
  • Jane Eyre
    Jane Eyre
    (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
    Charlotte Bronte, Ruben Toledo
    978-0-14-310615-9
    $18.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Nov 30, 2010
  • The Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
    The Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
    William Shakespeare, Coralie Bickford-Smith
    978-0-14-119257-4
    $23.00 US
    Hardcover
    Penguin Classics
    Sep 28, 2010
  • The Odyssey
    The Odyssey
    Homer, Coralie Bickford-Smith
    978-0-14-119244-4
    $25.00 US
    Hardcover
    Penguin Classics
    Mar 10, 2010
  • Wuthering Heights
    Wuthering Heights
    (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
    Emily Bronte, Ruben Toledo
    978-0-14-310543-5
    $18.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Aug 25, 2009
  • War and Peace
    War and Peace
    Leo Tolstoy
    978-0-14-044793-4
    $20.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Feb 24, 2009
  • Lady Chatterley's Lover
    Lady Chatterley's Lover
    Cambridge Lawrence Edition
    D. H. Lawrence
    978-0-14-144149-8
    $15.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Nov 25, 2008
  • The Divine Comedy
    The Divine Comedy
    Volume 2: Purgatorio
    Dante Alighieri
    978-0-14-044896-2
    $19.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Feb 26, 2008
  • Frankenstein
    Frankenstein
    (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
    Mary Shelley, Daniel Clowes
    978-0-14-310503-9
    $17.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Sep 25, 2007
  • Cranford
    Cranford
    Elizabeth Gaskell
    978-0-14-143988-4
    $15.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 25, 2006
  • Meditations
    Meditations
    Marcus Aurelius
    978-0-14-303627-2
    $13.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Books
    Sep 06, 2005
  • The War of the Worlds
    The War of the Worlds
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-14-144103-0
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 04, 2005
  • Villette
    Villette
    Charlotte Bronte
    978-0-14-043479-8
    $13.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 28, 2004
  • David Copperfield
    David Copperfield
    Charles Dickens
    978-0-14-043944-1
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 28, 2004
  • Metamorphoses
    Metamorphoses
    Ovid
    978-0-14-044789-7
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Aug 03, 2004
  • Anna Karenina
    Anna Karenina
    (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
    Leo Tolstoy
    978-0-14-303500-8
    $20.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 31, 2004
  • Around the World in Eighty Days
    Around the World in Eighty Days
    Jules Verne
    978-0-14-044906-8
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 04, 2004
  • A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
    A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
    Charles Dickens
    978-0-14-043905-2
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Sep 30, 2003
  • The Count of Monte Cristo
    The Count of Monte Cristo
    Alexandre Dumas
    978-0-14-044926-6
    $16.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 27, 2003
  • Tess of the D'Urbervilles
    Tess of the D'Urbervilles
    Thomas Hardy
    978-0-14-143959-4
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 27, 2003
  • A Tale of Two Cities
    A Tale of Two Cities
    Charles Dickens
    978-0-14-143960-0
    $8.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 27, 2003
  • Emma
    Emma
    Jane Austen
    978-0-14-143958-7
    $9.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 06, 2003
  • Meditations
    Meditations
    A New Translation
    Marcus Aurelius
    978-0-8129-6825-5
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Modern Library
    May 06, 2003
  • Paradise Lost
    Paradise Lost
    John Milton
    978-0-14-042439-3
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • The Iliad
    The Iliad
    Homer
    978-0-14-044794-1
    $16.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • The Aeneid
    The Aeneid
    Virgil
    978-0-14-044932-7
    $16.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • The Woman in White
    The Woman in White
    Wilkie Collins
    978-0-14-143961-7
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Far from the Madding Crowd
    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Thomas Hardy
    978-0-14-143965-5
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Hard Times
    Hard Times
    Charles Dickens
    978-0-14-143967-9
    $9.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Persuasion
    Persuasion
    Jane Austen
    978-0-14-143968-6
    $7.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Bleak House
    Bleak House
    Charles Dickens, Hablot K. Brown
    978-0-14-143972-3
    $13.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Oliver Twist
    Oliver Twist
    Charles Dickens
    978-0-14-143974-7
    $8.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
    Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel
    978-0-14-143976-1
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • The Mayor of Casterbridge
    The Mayor of Casterbridge
    Thomas Hardy
    978-0-14-143978-5
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Northanger Abbey
    Northanger Abbey
    Jane Austen
    978-0-14-143979-2
    $8.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Mansfield Park
    Mansfield Park
    Jane Austen
    978-0-14-143980-8
    $9.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Robinson Crusoe
    Robinson Crusoe
    Daniel Defoe
    978-0-14-143982-2
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Vanity Fair
    Vanity Fair
    William Makepeace Thackeray
    978-0-14-143983-9
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Dracula
    Dracula
    Bram Stoker
    978-0-14-143984-6
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Apr 29, 2003
  • Middlemarch
    Middlemarch
    George Eliot
    978-0-14-143954-9
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Mar 25, 2003
  • Gulliver's Travels
    Gulliver's Travels
    Jonathan Swift
    978-0-14-143949-5
    $9.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Feb 25, 2003
  • The Canterbury Tales
    The Canterbury Tales
    Geoffrey Chaucer
    978-0-14-042438-6
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Feb 04, 2003
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray
    The Picture of Dorian Gray
    Oscar Wilde
    978-0-14-143957-0
    $9.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Feb 04, 2003
  • Madame Bovary
    Madame Bovary
    Gustave Flaubert
    978-0-14-044912-9
    $13.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 31, 2002
  • Crime and Punishment
    Crime and Punishment
    Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    978-0-14-044913-6
    $16.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 31, 2002
  • Pride and Prejudice
    Pride and Prejudice
    Jane Austen
    978-0-14-143951-8
    $9.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 31, 2002
  • Moby-Dick
    Moby-Dick
    or, The Whale
    Herman Melville
    978-0-14-243724-7
    $16.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 31, 2002
  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    978-0-14-043771-3
    $14.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 31, 2001
  • Treasure Island
    Treasure Island
    Robert Louis Stevenson
    978-0-14-043768-3
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 01, 1999
  • Jude the Obscure
    Jude the Obscure
    Thomas Hardy
    978-0-14-043538-2
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Sep 01, 1998
  • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
    The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
    Anne Bronte
    978-0-14-043474-3
    $14.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Jun 01, 1996
  • Little Women
    Little Women
    Louisa May Alcott
    978-0-14-039069-8
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Jan 01, 1989
  • The Hound of the Baskervilles
    The Hound of the Baskervilles
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    978-0-425-10405-7
    $4.99 US
    Mass Market Paperback
    Berkley
    Mar 15, 1987
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April 30 2020

A Monthly Update from Penguin Classics

Because what you read matters. Subscribe to the Penguin Classics Newsletter here. This month, we’re channeling the Stoics and practicing mindfulness in our daily lives, particularly through the books we read. We’ve gathered up some of our favorite books to keep us company during times of uncertainty, to provide a much-needed dose of calm and tranquility,

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April 30 2020
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