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Quintus Curtius
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Digest Hardcover – February 8, 2020

by Quintus Curtius (Author)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
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This comprehensive collection includes all of Quintus Curtius's important essays from 2016 to January 2020. "No branch of knowledge," as the author says, "is tangential to the curve of wisdom." The range of topics is diverse, and includes history, moral and ethical philosophy, travel and exploration, language, and the wisdom of the Near East. The essays are grouped into four sections for easy reference:

I. Thought

II. The Wisdom of the Near East

III. Travel and Exploration

IV. History, Language, and Literature

These penetrating and inspiring writings provide a window into a philosophy of life based on a belief in achievement through struggle, the redemptive power of wisdom, the value of moral goodness, and the necessity of direct experience. Each essay stands alone by itself, a convenient fact that allows the book to be opened and read at any place, and at any time.

Annotated, with introduction, illustrations and a detailed index for easy reference.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    714 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Quintus Curtius
  4. Publication date
    February 8, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0578645874
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0578645872
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The essays in this book were originally published at my website Fortress of the Mind (qcurtius.com) between 2016 and January 2020. Some of them have been expanded. I have here divided them into four general categories:  Moral and Ethical Thought, Wisdom of the Near East, Travel and Exploration, and History, Language, and Literature.      
No branch of knowledge is tangential to the curve of wisdom. While the range of subjects is large, the length of each essay is mercifully short, allowing the reader to peruse these pages as opportunity and interest may permit. As a vehicle for the transmission of ideas, the essay is a laudable invention; its length stimulates the mind without overwhelming the patience, ensuring that topical points are retained in the memory long after a book's cover has been closed.  
 As every numbered essay stands alone as a separate writing, the reader may open the book and begin at any page. The largest number of entries is found in Part I. "To speak generally," said Plutarch, "what we are wont to say about the arts and sciences is also true of moral excellence, for to its perfect development three things must meet together, natural ability, theory, and practice...If any of these elements be wanting, excellence must be so far deficient." 
We agree with him. He understood that those who wished to make progress in moral development needed not only to study theory, but also to apply this theory in grappling with worldly problems. It is my hope that readers find in these essays some principles that may be deployed in the rigorous palaestra of life. Our age hungers for answers to the immemorial questions, and senses, in its heart of hearts, that it has been systematically deprived of the wisdom and guidance of the past by a modern culture obsessed with grotesque novelty, smug superficiality, and transient stimulations. 
The essays in Part II feature moral wisdom found in selected anecdotes from the literary traditions of the Near East. Part II also contains its own brief introduction. The content of Parts III and IV is self-explanatory. Of what has transpired before us, there are always new tales to tell. The currents of the past flow constantly around us, and we must at times allow ourselves to be carried along by their surges. 
No written effort is completed without the assistance of many hands. Thanks are owed to the patient friends whose encouragement, suggestions, and senses of humor I have valued over the years, especially Zeljko Ivic, James Seehafer, and Dr. Michael Fontaine of Cornell University, to whom this book is respectfully dedicated. Special thanks are also owed to my parents for a lifetime of unremitting support. And as this volume has already burst its seams, we need not linger here with additional commentary. The art of leaving people alone, is an art that is not well-known.  
Diogenes Laertius tells us that the philosopher Zeno was once faced with a man who continued to speak beyond the point of utility, and who would not listen to cues to stop. The old Stoic told him: "Your ears have slid down and merged with your tongue."

From the Inside Flap

Quintus Curtius is the pen name of author, translator, and attorney George J. Thomas. His published translations include Cicero's "On Duties," "On Moral Ends," "Stoic Paradoxes," Sallust's "Conspiracy of Catiline and War of Jugurtha," and Cornelius Nepos's "Lives of the Great Commanders." He resides in Kansas City and can be found at qcurtius.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quintus Curtius (February 8, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 714 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0578645874
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0578645872
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.42 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

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Quintus Curtius

Quintus Curtius

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Quintus Curtius is the pen name of writer and translator George J. Thomas. After graduating from MIT in 1990, he served as an active duty officer in the US Marine Corps for a number of years. After leaving active service, he enrolled in law school and began practicing law in 1998. He lives in Overland Park, Kansas.

His innovative and groundbreaking translations include Cicero's "On the Nature of the Gods," "Tusculan Disputations," "On Moral Ends," "On Duties," "Stoic Paradoxes," Sallust's "The Conspiracy of Catiline and War of Jugurtha," and Cornelius Nepos's "Lives of the Great Commanders."

Curtius has also written extensively on moral philosophy, ethics, and historical subjects. His essay collections explore questions of character, leadership, and adversity. These books include "Thirty-Seven," "Digest," "Pantheon," and "Pathways." Using examples from history, personal experience, literature, and philosophy, these unique books have been described as "inexplicably inspiring."

He can be found at www.qcurtius.com.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
37 global ratings
An essay a day keeps ignorance away.
5 Stars
An essay a day keeps ignorance away.
This is overflowing with essays covering various topics. Inside there is advice, history, philosophy, and wisdom gained by experience and observation.I recommend taking your time eating through this so you can digest it. I also recommend a straightedge and a sharp pencil for notes.
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Top reviews from the United States

Erik Vining
5.0 out of 5 stars An essay a day keeps ignorance away.
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is overflowing with essays covering various topics. Inside there is advice, history, philosophy, and wisdom gained by experience and observation.

I recommend taking your time eating through this so you can digest it. I also recommend a straightedge and a sharp pencil for notes.
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Erik Vining
5.0 out of 5 stars An essay a day keeps ignorance away.
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023
This is overflowing with essays covering various topics. Inside there is advice, history, philosophy, and wisdom gained by experience and observation.

I recommend taking your time eating through this so you can digest it. I also recommend a straightedge and a sharp pencil for notes.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
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Vincent J. LaRosa
5.0 out of 5 stars A Nourishing Evening Meditation
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2020
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A few months ago I purchased “Digest” by Quintus Curtius. It’s a hefty tome of 701 pages plus an index.

This book is a collection of Quintus’ website essays from 2016 to early 2020.

I like that he curated them and made them available to us in book form. I chose the hardback version for my own Library.

I like to purchase hardback books from those authors whose work I respect and that I will re-read and reference in the future.

When the book first arrived I began my reading by jumping around a bit. The essays cover various topics such as morality, history, virtue, and travel.

It is a feast for the mind, and dare I say, spirit? These types of books are like friends to me. They guide and inform.

Now, “Digest”, is just such a book and I am reading it every day before I go to sleep. I find it relaxing, rewarding, and, overall, a nourishing evening meditation

I am particularly fond of essay 22 – “On Idle or Trifling Speech”. In this one, Quintus writes about, and references, Samuel Johnson and his friend and biographer, James Boswell – “In the short dialogue between himself and his biographer, Johnson (that great man of English Letters) makes the point that it may be well to make idle speech, as long as one does not unduly subscribe to its banalities.” As I read this essay, I grew curious about Johnson and Boswell, both names I had heard of, but had not much knowledge. Research lead me to the book called, “The Club – Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age”.

See how this works? Reading “Digest” will send you on many a philosophical and literary treasure hunts. That makes this book worth more than what I paid for it.

So, each night I read one essay.

If you want some practical, everyday, gentlemen’s philosophy, then adding this to your own Library will prove to be a worthwhile purchase.

Get reading!
3 people found this helpful
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Alan
5.0 out of 5 stars It is good to have these works physically available
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
Quintus' writings, both his essays and his translations. have added to my life in innumerable ways. His lessons have slowly over time sunk in and changed my mindset, my view of the world, and my method of living my life over the last four years.

This is a great collection of essays touching on topics to do with character and moral development, dedication and perseverance, as well as a look at history, how people saw the world in different places and times, wisdom from different cultures, and treating yourself and others with grace, forbearance, and humility. And this barely touches all that you could learn from this tome.

Now if the essays are all available for free on his site, why get this book? Several reasons, reading paper is better than a computer screen. It will be good to return to my favourites in the format I like instead of hunting for it through his archives. Second and more important, the internet is proving that it is not forever and these essays face the possibility of being lost. By having a copy I will keep them no matter what happens on the net. And lastly, after having learned much from these and I expect to learn more, I look forward to the day when I can present this work to my children so that they too can learn from it. Doing that with a book that can be opnend and browsed is far better than a website.
5 people found this helpful
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Daniel Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars Best read in a Village by the Sea
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
This a worthy addition to any library. And this is what you should be doing at this point, building a library. And for my money that means hardcovers. That being said this is a beautiful hardcover of Digest. This is one book you can judge by its cover. Inside is filled with the best essays from Quintus Curtius from the last 4 years, packed with essays in four categories: Moral and Ethical Thought, Wisdom of the Near East, Travel and Exploration, and History, Language and Literature.

If you're unfamilar with the Quintus universe you're really missing out on a world of philosophy, thought, history, character, morals, entertainment and comedy. If you're a regular podcast listener or blog reader of Quintus' this is a no brainer and a great way to support his work. If you're not I suggest subscribing to the podcast asap and getting caught up and checking out is blog at www.qcurtis.com. You're really missing out.

Let me just say that this book is a joy to hold in hand and worth the price tag. Just such a beautiful book to display and hold in hand. This 713 tome is great because you can skip around depending on what peaks your interest from the table of contents. Don't let the team down, pick it up today!
Customer image
Daniel Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars Best read in a Village by the Sea
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2020
This a worthy addition to any library. And this is what you should be doing at this point, building a library. And for my money that means hardcovers. That being said this is a beautiful hardcover of Digest. This is one book you can judge by its cover. Inside is filled with the best essays from Quintus Curtius from the last 4 years, packed with essays in four categories: Moral and Ethical Thought, Wisdom of the Near East, Travel and Exploration, and History, Language and Literature.

If you're unfamilar with the Quintus universe you're really missing out on a world of philosophy, thought, history, character, morals, entertainment and comedy. If you're a regular podcast listener or blog reader of Quintus' this is a no brainer and a great way to support his work. If you're not I suggest subscribing to the podcast asap and getting caught up and checking out is blog at www.qcurtis.com. You're really missing out.

Let me just say that this book is a joy to hold in hand and worth the price tag. Just such a beautiful book to display and hold in hand. This 713 tome is great because you can skip around depending on what peaks your interest from the table of contents. Don't let the team down, pick it up today!
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3 people found this helpful
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Thiago Mallet
5.0 out of 5 stars Amplitudo Animi
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2021
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From historical, mythical and fabulous narratives, and from human experience lived and registered throughout the time be in Roman Empire, in 20th century America or in medieval Near East, Quintus Curtius brings to the contemporary readers, in form of straight and short essays, a much needed and updated wealth in aphorisms, quotations, language observations, moral and philosophic lessons, heroic deeds, traitorous plots, disastrous wrongdoings, adventure tales or just silly and humorous moments. This registered substance of life, constituting the very essence of mankind however manifestating in different cultures and beliefs, is extremely important to widen the breadth of the knowledge, directly in benefit of one's "amplitudo animi".

This 700+ page volume may seem too bulky to manipulate, but in fact is light and fits nicely in hand, making it readable anywhere even in commute.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

craig
5.0 out of 5 stars A gift.
Reviewed in Canada on July 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
I'm not able to articulate how much i love this book. Just glad it found my home. Certainly a book I'll be passing onto my son. ⚔️
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Daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent written
Reviewed in the Netherlands on September 1, 2021
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Excellent read, essays well written, not too long. Perfect for reading in the evening.
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Mr G O'Shock
5.0 out of 5 stars On the Virtues of Ancient Men for a modern Age
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Quintus Curtius presents tales and stories of wisdom and philosophy from the antique world. The modern world seems tame and tired compared to the vigour and adventure of the stories and meditations in this book.

Essays not to long, just perfect for reading of an evening in a village by the sea.
Distilled knowledge and delight, an antidote and inspiration against these hysterical days.
Recommend to your friends
One person found this helpful
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Nando Musano
5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of essays
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2021
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A fantastic read for anyone looking for some great philosophy related to historical works.
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Woody Wonder
5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2020
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This is a true intellectual odyssey, to be savoured at a slow pace over many months. It has something for everyone interested in ancient history, ideas, great leaders and thought. Highly recommended
One person found this helpful
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