18 books like Lives

What to read after Lives — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath · 1948 · ★ 4.5 · 272p · ≈ 9h · Challenging The Bell Jar is the only novel written by American poet Sylvia Plath. It is an intensely realistic and emotional record of a successful and talented young woman's descent into madness. Shares: Community pick

Plutarchi Vitae parallelae Plutarch · 1478 · ★ 3.8 · 330p · ≈ 11h · Demanding This story is set in the mid-fourth century B.C., in the city-state of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. It's the story of two father-and-son tyrant rulers who called themselves kings, both named Dionysius (pronounced Die-oh-nee-see-us). But the main character is Dion (pronounced Dion as in Lion), who was a relative, mentor, and finally mortal enemy to the second Dionysius. It has been pointed… Shares: Classical biography, Rome, Early works to 1800, Biography & Memoir

Memorabilia Xenophon · 1650 · ★ 4.0 · 236p · ≈ 7h · Demanding The Memorabilia Xenophon - An essential text for understanding Socrates, Xenophon's Memorabilia is the compelling tribute of an affectionate student to his teacher, providing a rare firsthand account of Socrates' life and philosophy. The Memorabilia is invaluable both as a work of philosophy in its own right and as a complement to the study of Plato's dialogues. The longest of Xenophon's four… Shares: Philosophers, Early works to 1800, Philosophy, Biography & Memoir

Vitae excellentium imperatorum Cornelius Nepos · 1594 · 262p · ≈ 8h · Demanding Shares: Classical biography, Rome, Early works to 1800, Biography & Memoir

Shi ji Sima Qian · 1550 · ★ 1.0 · 20p · ≈ 40m · Demanding xx, 243 p. ; 23 cm Shares: Philosophers, Sources, Biography & Memoir, History

Dē vītā Caesarum Suetonius · 1470 · ★ 4.0 · 432p · ≈ 14h · Demanding De vita Caesarum, known as The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies, each about one of the Roman emperors, including one on Julius Caesar. It was written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly referred to as Suetonius, in 121. Considered highly significant in antiquity, The Twelve Caesars has remained a major source of Roman history. Shares: Rome, Sources, Early works to 1800, Biography & Memoir

Lays of ancient Rome Thomas Babington Macaulay · 1800 · ★ 4.1 · 95p · ≈ 3h · Challenging Lays of Ancient Rome is an 1842 collection of narrative poems, or lays, by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Four of these recount heroic episodes from early Roman history with strong dramatic and tragic themes, giving the collection its name. Macaulay also included two poems inspired by recent history: Ivry (1824) and The Armada (1832). Shares: Rome, History

Gates of Fire Steven Pressfield · 1998 · ★ 4.5 · 387p · ≈ 12h · Moderate Godine 480.pr.Kr. kod Termopila (Vruća vrata) na sjeveru Grčke odigrala se najveličanstvenija bitka za slobodu tijekom čitave povijesti čovječanstva. U uskom planinskom prolazu iznad Egejskog mora sukobilo se 300 spartanskih vitezova s nadmoćnim snagama perzijskog kralja Kserksa. Od samog početka bilo je jasno da će Spartanci izgubiti bitku. Zašto su ipak bili spremni poginuti? Priča zarobljenog… Shares: Greece, History

Gli eroici furori Giordano Bruno · 1887 · 136p · ≈ 4h · Challenging The second part of The Heroic Enthusiasts which I am now sending to the press is on the same subject as the first, namely the struggles of the soul in its upward progress towards purification and freedom, and the author makes use of lower things to picture and suggest the higher. It is interesting to note that in the first part of The Heroic Enthusiasts (page 122), Bruno makes a distinct allusion… Shares: Ethics, Early works to 1800, Philosophy

La Poetica Aristotle · 1479 · ★ 3.8 · 445p · ≈ 14h · Demanding Few, if any, writers in history have made major contributions to as many fields of knowledge as Aristotle... 'If there are two definitive features of ancient Greek civilization,' writes Hugh Lawson-Tancred in his wide-ranging Introduction, 'they are articulacy and competition.' In the city-states oratorical competence was an essential asset for politicians in the Assemblies and Councils and even… Shares: Philosophers, Ethics, Early works to 1800, Philosophy

Ghosts Owen Davies · 2010 · 1440p · ≈ 48h · Moderate Reveals changing perceptions of ghosts at different social levels from the Reformation through to the twentieth century in Britain and America. This five-volume set focuses on the key published debates that emerged in each century, and illustrates the range of literary formats that reported or discussed ghosts. Shares: Sources, History

The Story of Philosophy Will Durant · 1926 · ★ 4.2 · 578p · ≈ 19h · Challenging Includes chapters on Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, and Nietzsche. Shares: Philosophers, Philosophy, Biography & Memoir, History

Этика Peter Kropotkin · 1923 · 349p · ≈ 11h · Challenging Ethics: Origin and Development is a book by Peter Kropotkin, published posthumously in 1921. It continues the argument of Mutual Aid, that sociable morality is essential to human survival. It was translated into English by Louis S. Friedland and Joseph R. Piroshnikoff in 1924. (Source: Wikipedia) Shares: Ethics, Philosophy, History

Unended quest Karl Popper · 1976 · 270p · ≈ 9h · Moderate At the age of eight, Karl Popper was puzzling over the idea of infinity and by fifteen was beginning to take a keen interest in his father's well-stocked library of books. Unended Quest recounts these moments and many others in the life of one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century, providing an indispensable account of the ideas that influenced him most. As an introduction to… Shares: Philosophers, Biography & Memoir

Oeuvres de Descartes René Descartes · 1842 · 12p · ≈ 24m · Challenging 6 Oeuvres de René Descartes Ce livre numérique présente une collection des oeuvres majeures de René Descartes éditées en texte intégral. Une table des matières dynamique permet d'accéder directement aux différentes oeuvres. Liste des oeuvres: Correspondance Discours de la méthode Les méditations Les météores Les passions de l'âme Principes de Philosophie - Préface Shares: Philosophers, Early works to 1800, Philosophy, History

An inquiry into the original of our ideas of beauty and virtue Francis Hutcheson · 1725 · ★ 5.0 · 304p · ≈ 10h · Demanding "The Inquiry was written as a critical response to the work of Bernard Mandeville and as a defense of the ideas of Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftesbury. It consists of two treatises exploring our aesthetic and our moral abilities. The first treatise argues that human beings possess a natural internal sense of beauty, whereas the second focuses on the "moral sense" that enables us to… Shares: Ethics, Early works to 1800, Philosophy

Night of the wolf Alice Borchardt · 1999 · ★ 3.9 · 478p · ≈ 15h · Moderate The Silver Wolf, Alice Borchardt's acclaimed novel of a shapeshifter's struggle to survive as woman and wolf amid the Dark Ages, announced the arrival of a ferociously gifted writer. Now, with her masterful weaving of adventure, history, and magic, Borchardt delves deeper into the shape-shifter legend, and brings an earlier, more savage time brilliantly to life.The fearsome legions of Julius… Shares: Rome, History

History of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides · 1526 · ★ 4.0 · 399p · ≈ 13h · Demanding Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the long life-and-death struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling its author's ambitious claim. Thucydides himself (c.460-400 BC) was an Athenian and achieved the rank of general in the earlier stages of the war. He applied thereafter a passion for accuracy and a contempt… Shares: Greece, Sources, History

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