'A spiritual polymath, the first and possibly greatest' Deepak Chopra
What we have forgotten is that thoughts and words are conventions, and that it is fatal to take conventions too seriously
Too often we fall into the trap of anticipating the future while lamenting the past and in the midst of this negative loop we forget how to live in the now. In this iconic and prescient text, pioneering Zen scholar Alan Watts shows us how, in an age of unprecedented anxiety, we must embrace the present in order to live a fulfilling life.
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFoster curiosity, discernment and life-changing wisdom: book 4 in the bestselling Stoic Virtues series'Some authors give advice. Ryan Holiday distils wisdom' CAL NEWPORT, bestselling author of Deep Work 'Ryan Holiday is one of his generation's finest thinkers' STEVEN PRESSFIELD, author of The War of ArtWisdom is central to a meaningful life. It gives us perspective, reveals knowledge and guides our path. Without it, our best qualities become our worst: courage turns to foolhardiness, self-discipline to cruelty, justice to empty moralising. We all aspire to be wise - but wisdom is earned. In this fourth and final instalment of his bestselling Stoic Virtues series, Ryan Holiday uncovers tried and true methods for cultivating wisdom. Drawing on lessons from heroes across history, including Marcus Aurelius, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou and Joan Didion, he shows how to keep an open mind in times of division and disruption; to listen more than we talk; to think with nuance and ruthlessly question our own beliefs. Through cautionary figures like Elon Musk, he shows how dangerous intelligence can be without wisdom - and how we can all escape today's traps of tribalism, certainty and self-righteousness. Are you open to listening? Are you willing to question? Are you here to learn? Wisdom is work. But it's worth it. Lees meer
An unforgettable collection of retold myths and folk tales, celebrating the wisdom and power of women in midlife and beyond, from the award-winning author of Hagitude 'An extraordinary selection of stories ... beautifully and vividly retold' TLS 'Genius' Irish Times 'Treasure it!' Shahrukh Husain 'Wonderful' Victoria Smith 'The book I've been longing for' Jill Dawson 'Thrilling' Stella Duffy
This dazzling array of not-to-be-messed-with characters from a lost tradition of European myth and folklore - from ungainly giantesses and sequin-strewn fairy godmothers to misunderstood witches and craggy crones - provides inspiration for how women can walk boldly and live authentically in the second half of life.
'Features an exuberant cast ... The collection is precious, because it's the first time that these rare, patriarchy-surviving remnants of powerful elder female folk stories have been deliberately anthologised' Irish Times 'A fascinating collection of female myths and legends' Sara Sheridan 'I adored Wise Women' Eleanor Mills, author of Much More to Come: Lessons on the mayhem and magnificence of midlife 'Wondrously wise, clever and insightful as well as slyly funny' AG Slatter, author of The Briar Book of the Dead
'Wish I Was Here is a masterpiece' Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk 'It will surprise you, sometimes astound you, and leave you profoundly changed' Jonathan Coe, author of The Rotters' ClubM. John Harrison has produced one of the greatest bodies of fiction of any living British author, encompassing space opera, speculative fiction, fantasy, magical and literary realism. Every book is subversive of genre and united by restless intelligence, experimentation and rebelliousness of spirit. This is his first memoir, an 'anti-memoir', written in his mid-seventies with aphoristic daring and trademark originality and style, fresh after winning the Goldsmiths Prize in 2020. Many of our most prominent younger writers now recognise him as the most significant British writer of his generation. He is 'brilliantly unsettling' (Olivia Laing), 'magnificent' (Neil Gaiman), 'one of the best writers of fiction currently at work in English' (Robert Macfarlane). Lees meer
An enlightening and lighthearted exploration of 50 places around the world that you can’t—or maybe shouldn’t—visit.
This gift book is the guilt-free travel guide for the person who has been everywhere (or needs an excuse to stay on the couch), featuring a collection of 50 destinations from around the world that you can’t actually visit.
Prolific traveler and guidebook author Trent Holden has compiled a selection of big and small experiences that you can only read about. From legal no-go zones like the Andaman Islands and Fort Knox and sites of mystery like Russia’s Metro 2, to places of human destruction like the Lascaux Caves, or ones where the danger is in the name, like Snake Island, each entry is filled with fascinating facts, historical context, and collaged illustrations to highlight some lesser-known and unreachable parts of the world. Lees meer