Jonathan Booth

Famous for his political treatise The Prince, which advises would-be kings on the best strategies for governing, Machiavelli turns his attention to the inner workings of a successful republic and the people necessary to maintain it in his Discourses...

Born into slavery in the first century AD, Epictetus was a leading Greek philosopher of the Stoic school. He spent most of his life in Rome before the emperor Domitian banished all philosophers from the city in AD 93; his exile then took him to...

First published in 1471, the year of the author’s death, The Imitation of Christ is a highly influential Christian text. A celebration of God’s mercy, holiness and love, The Imitation is a devotional guide in which Christians are urged to trust fully...

Written in 516, The Rule of Saint Benedict for monastic living has been soul-inspiring for a countless number of people – not only monks, nuns and priests, but also a considerable number of lay people. It covers matters of doctrine, the structure of...