The Illustrated Meditations: Life Lessons from Marcus Aurelius
Introduced by James Romm
Illustrated by Joanna Lisowiec
Many thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley
for providing me with an advanced digital copy of these selections from Marcus
Aureilus’s Meditations. I’ve read Meditations in other formats,
but this version, titled The Illustrated Meditations: Life Lessons from
Marcus Aurelius stands out among others for the excellent introductions and
contextualization from scholar James Romm and the wonderful woodcut illustrations
from Joanna Lisowiec. Rather than presenting all of Meditations, this
edition serves as a curated highlight of the key themes and ideas from the
different sections. Romm’s commentary enables readers to better understand Marcus
Aurelius’s times and the incredible position he had as an emperor of Rome.
Furthermore, it’s also important to consider that Marcus Aurelius most likely
never considered Meditations for public readers but rather looked at this
collection of thoughts and ideas as a kind of inner dialogue or journal of
important precepts and theories about life and the challenges it presented to
him. Within each section, Romm provides some context about understanding Marcus
Aurelius’s position, and then identifies some key quotes and passages from the
original text that relate to these ideas. The introductions for each section
are brief, typically one to two pages, and then there are quotes and sections
pulled from various parts of Meditations. There are usually about 5-6
quotes with illustrations and then anywhere between 5-10 longer passages that
relate to the themes. Although I had a digital copy, I would imagine that this
edition would make an excellent gift for someone. I can see myself revisiting
this book throughout a year or when I face challenges, as it provides some great
insights into keeping an even disposition and not becoming too upset or angry.
This is a great edition and a good entryway into understanding
ideas about Stoicism and why they are still relevant to today. The wonderful
illustrations also help to understand the Stoic relationship with nature and
cycles. These illustrations are colorful and detailed, and fit well with the excerpts
from Meditations.
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