About the Texts
The Stoic Library gathers primary Stoic works in careful public-domain translations, presented for reading rather than skimming.
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius appear here in the translation of George Long (1862). The Enchiridion of Epictetus is given in Elizabeth Carter’s translation of 1758. Both are complete and in the public domain. A fuller note on each edition, its source, and its licence will live here as the library grows.
Printed editions
The reading here is free and in the public domain. If you would like a modern printed copy to keep, mark, and carry, these are the editions worth owning:
- Meditations, translated by Gregory Hays (Modern Library) a clear, contemporary rendering of Marcus.
- Epictetus: The Complete Works, translated by Robin Waterfield (University of Chicago Press) a recent, highly readable rendering; includes the Handbook, the Enchiridion, in full.
Further reading
Two books beyond the primary texts, one a modern guide and one a novel:
- How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, by Donald Robertson a practical guide to Marcus and Stoic practice.
- A Man in Full, by Tom Wolfe a novel whose turn toward Epictetus has drawn readers into Stoicism.
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