| Dear like-minded friend, Do you have a minute? Most people I put that question to give me an emphatic 'No' for an answer. But it's too bad. Because everything that is really worth doing takes time -- including money, love, knowledge -- you name it. The truth is, most people are too busy to make any real money. Warren Buffett says he spends 80% of his time reading. But most people are lucky if they read the headlines on the evening paper. That's partly because our modern culture emphasizes the URGENT over the IMPORTANT. The phone rings; you have to answer it, right? You get dozens of email messages everyday. You have to pay attention to them, right? And then there is the news...the TV...and all the other distractions of daily life demanding IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Well, I'm writing to ask you to slow down. Take some time. Read. Think. Reflect. Not for my sake, but for yours. Specifically, what I'm offering you is something not at all urgent...but very important. Apart from the Bible -- these are the most important words ever written. And we've put them together for you in one place.
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| The great works of the ancient masters have lasted for thousands of years, and for good reason. The ideas of these forefathers reveal how Western civilization was formed. The world’s greatest leaders and thinkers from Alexander the Great to Thomas Jefferson, from Da Vinci to Einstein, have embraced these same writings... And that’s exactly the same opportunity you have before you today. |  |
| We have collected the works of the classical masters in a rare book called The Essential Classics. The Essential Classics contains the critical works of the Classical world that you always meant to read, but never got around to doing so. | |
It would be difficult to find a more enriching way to spend some time than with one of the great classics. | |
Unfortunately, most people today are more interested in who’s on American Idol than enriching themselves with the wisdom of the ancients. But I have reason to believe that you’re not like that. I suspect you’re not cut-from-the mainstream. And if you’re like me you choose how you spend your time carefully. Let’s face it time is your most valuable commodity. Reading the classics is one of those things many people never get around to. But you don’t have to be regretful. We’ve made it easy for you to get to the heart of the works of the great classical masters.
It Is Like A Classical Education In One Volume.The book is unlike anything else out on the market. You won’t find it in your local bookstore or see it advertised on TV. We have printed only 5,000 copies, so it won’t get widespread distribution. That’s why I wanted to tell you about this, to see if you want ‘in’ on this first, and maybe only, printing. As it says in the book jacket, “The Essential Classics is intended for professionals who appreciate culture, critical thinking, and cutting wit”. If you realize the value of reading the classics then let me show you what The Essential Classics is all about… This book is a compilation of works of literature that became the basis for modern life. It will give you an understanding of western civilization better than a college class could do. These are selected translated texts that influenced three thousand years of history. This collection contains works by Homer, Aesop, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Cicero, Caesar, Lucretius, Virgil, Horace, Livy, Ovid, Epictetus, Tacitus, Marcus Aurelius, and many more. From each author we have chosen definitive writings, chapters of books, stories, or fables that represent their most influential ideas. Included in the collection are biographies for each author, notes, a chart of Roman and Greek gods, and a timeline of events in the Greco-Roman world. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about the blossoming of western culture this is an opportunity to do just that. Maybe you’ve already read a few of the works included in this collection. With all of the best material in one place, this book will help you ‘connect the dots’ like never before. But there are so many reasons why this collection could be the best investment you could ever make:
Who Reads The Classics?Reading The Essential Classics follows a tradition of learning that began after Socrates read Homer… Plato studied under Socrates… and Aristotle studied under Plato… and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great who conquered the entire known world at the time. For thousands of years the world’s most dynamic people have looked back on the lessons of the ancients for inspiration and perspective. [box "I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates." -- Steve Jobs, CEO Apple Computers] It’s no secret that most of the world’s greatest artists, leaders, writers, businessmen, and politicians were avid readers of the classics. Most all the founding fathers of the United States read the classics, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. That’s why many of the government buildings in Washington DC were modeled after designs from ancient Greece and Rome. Jefferson's grandchildren said of him, "If he had to decide between the pleasure derived from the classical education which his father had given him, and the estate left him, he would decide in favor of the former." And a granddaughter noted: "I saw him more frequently with a volume of the classics in hand than with any other book." "One of the regrets of my life is that I did not study Latin. I'm absolutely convinced, the more I understand these eighteenth-century people, that it was that grounding in Greek and Latin that gave them their sense of the classic virtues: the classic ideals of honor, virtue, the good society and their historic examples of what they could try to live up to." -- David McCullough, Historian and author, on understanding the Founding Fathers. The whole idea of democracy was started in ancient Greece and carried on through into the Roman World, and eventually to America. How can you know where you’re going when you don’t know where you’ve been? So, if you’d like more insight into the history of philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, humanitarianism, and politics then this collection is perfect for you. | |
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