1897; John B. Alden, Publisher, New York; smaller hardbound (7.5 inch x 4.5 inch), 188 pages; quite good condition with tight binding; pages have minor ageing and a few spots; minor wear of boards.
 
description -
A classic translation of the meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. The text is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180. Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, because internal notes tell us that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron) and the second book was written at Carnuntum. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published and the work has no official title, so several titles are commonly assigned to the collection.